Sean O’Malley gets high praise Dana White: ‘He’s an exciting fighter, people love him’

UFC president Dana White praised bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley, saying that he’s an “exciting fighter” and that “people love him.”

O’Malley returns from a two-year layoff after numerous issues with USADA when he takes on Jose Quinonez this weekend at UFC 248. Prior to his USADA-induced layoff, O’Malley was quickly emerging as a superstar for the UFC. He had a tremendous performance on the Contender Series and then two wins in the Octagon before taking a long absence.

Speaking to the media in Las Vegas before UFC 248, White was asked what he thinks about O’Malley and what his expectations are for him. The UFC president praised the youngster, explaining why he got the main event slot for the ESPN preliminary card bouts.

“He’s an exciting fighter. That’s why we made him the main event on ESPN. He’s an exciting fighter, people love him, and yeah, I’m excited for that fight too,” White said of O’Malley.

White was asked to share his thoughts on O’Malley losing two years of his career due to his issues with USADA. Ultimately O’Malley’s positive tests for ostarine cost him a lot of big opportunities, according to White, including a main event slot on the prelims for a Conor McGregor pay-per-view.

“He was supposed to be one of the featured guys on one of the Conor fights. I don’t know which one it was. It’s a problem,” White said about his fighters like O’Malley flunking their drug tests.

O’Malley can certainly make up for lost time this weekend at UFC 242. While he’s not a star by any means, Quinonez is a solid gatekeeper-type in the UFC bantamweight division. He’s the perfect opponent for O’Malley after such a long time away from the Octagon, and if he wins this fight, expect the UFC to book him for another fight very soon.

Do you agree with what Dana White said about Sean O’Malley?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/4/2020.