Sean O’Malley planning for “viral knockout” of Eddie Wineland at UFC 250

Sean O’Malley is expecting to add to his highlight reel at Saturday’s UFC 250 event.

The undefeated bantamweight prospect will be opening up the main card pay-per-view against veteran Eddie Wineland. For “Sugar” he says he’s excited to get back in there just three months after his last fight. He also believes Wineland is the perfect opponent for him.

“I think it is a perfect opponent for me right now in this stage of my career. Wineland is a decent size name so I think it is a good matchup for me,” O’Malley said to BJPENN.com. “I’m excited about the fight, I think it’s the perfect fight and I’m happy about it.”

When the fight was announced, however, many on social media were critical of the matchmaking saying O’Malley hasn’t fought anyone good. For the 25-year-old, he couldn’t care less about that and knows Wineland is dangerous.

“I don’t care at all. Eddie is a dangerous dude, I have to take him seriously,” he said. “If you are in the UFC you are tough.”

Against Wineland, Sean O’Malley knows the former UFC interim title challenger will be his toughest test to date.

Yet, the surging contender believes he will be too much for the savvy veteran and expects to have a highlight-reel first-round knockout on Saturday night.

“All my fights I see a first-round knockout. I’ll be too fast for him and anyone that steps in the cage with me. Every fight prediction is a first-round knockout,” he said. “I just think the way I’m going to go out there and finish him will be pretty spectacular. I’m planning on another viral knockout. That last knockout over Jose was decent. I want a signature Sugar knockout like the ones that go viral and make people jump out of their seat.”

Image Credit: @ufc on Instagram (photographer not listed)

Should O’Malley get a first-round knockout win, he knows there will be calls for him to fight a ranked opponent. Yet, he says the UFC will need to pay him more to fight the better guys.

“It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll talk with the UFC,” O’Malley said. “But, if they are going to pay me the same amount to fight a really, really, really good guy as someone out of the top-15, I’ll pick the easier guy. It depends on how this fight goes. I’m not looking past Eddie.”

Not only does O’Malley expect to keep his perfect record intact at UFC 250 but he also hopes to prove to people just how good he is.

The 25-year-old believes he has the best footwork and striking in the UFC and wants to continuously prove it.

“It sounds silly when I say this but I think I have the best footwork and striking in the UFC and I’m ready to prove it,” he said. “I get to go out there and show how good I am, as I know I am.”

Ultimately, Sean O’Malley is confident he’ll get his hand raised with a spectacular knockout win over Wineland. Following the fight, there is a chance the undefeated contender will call someone out, but he already knows at least one of the bantamweights on the card will ask to fight him.

“They are doing what they need to do, they don’t have a thing that makes people want to watch so they are calling out the person who does. They are calling me out because I have the eyes on me. I get it,” he concluded. “When I was out I was called out by nine people. If I keep winning and they keep winning I’m sure we will eventually meet.”

Do you think Sean O’Malley will be able to knock out Eddie Wineland?