The UFC 299 press conference took place in Miami on Thursday night with the main card fighters including Sean O’Malley present to answer questions. A lot has been said about Sean O’Malley’s ‘star power’ since the mishap related to his PPV numbers. However, at the UFC 299 press conference, it was seen firsthand if O’Malley has the crowd support.
There were cheers for every fighter when they made their way in. After O’Malley was asked a question and he was about to answer, fans erupted chanting “Chito”. There was a loud and clear support for Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, O’Malley’s opponent.
i think Sean O’Malley just realised in real time that he’s not that guy yet when it comes to star power#UFC299 pic.twitter.com/TTJe4ACQZm
— OOC MMA (@oocmma) March 7, 2024
The moment fans made their preference clear, O’Malley was shaken. He was visibly left thinking about his next words and it seemed like he did not expect this response. The Ecuadorian, on the other hand, was relishing the support. O’Malley, an American fighter, was snubbed by the American crowd in favor of an Ecuadorian fighter. This again raised questions about Sean O’Malley’s star power.
What do the numbers say about Sean O’Malley’s star power?
O’Malley won the UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 292 against Aljamain Sterling. That was the first time O’Malley was part of the headliner on a PPV event. His star power would have been on show through PPV numbers. However, since the official numbers are not announced, a lot of conflicting matter was said about it.
Henry sayin Me and Aljo “only” did 350k ppv according to his (girlfriend ) source. I just talked to the ufc and I heard upwards of 570k … legit no kizzy not making this up heard Aljo vs Henry did 135k. Also Henry 5’2 lol
— Sean O’Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) August 31, 2023
Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo claimed the PPV numbers were around 300,000-350,000. UFC CEO Dana White claimed that the PPV numbers were record-breaking for the bantamweight championship. O’Malley also chimed in and said the numbers crossed 500,000. However, Aljamain Sterling claimed the numbers were low. Such a conflict and a huge difference in numbers do not usually take place in the UFC PPV buys.
When it comes to star power on social media, O’Malley racks up decent numbers. He has around 3.9 million followers on Instagram. It is lower than multiple UFC champions including Islam Makhachev, Ilia Topuria, and Jon Jones. However, he beats Alex Pereira and Dricus Du Plessis.
On YouTube, UFC uploads a post-fight Octagon interview. The numbers there are on the lower end for O’Malley. His interview was viewed by over 600,000 people. However, all the main event-winning fighters interviewed (some even main event losers) from UFC 293 to UFC 298 have easily surpassed those numbers. Fans have shown great interest in those interviews.
Sean O’Malley defends his ‘star power’ and explains why UFC 299 card is stacked
During an episode of the BroMalleyShow podcast, O’Malley opened up about people hating on him. They told him his star power was low so UFC had to stack his card.
“UFC 300’s looking good, but UFC 299…” he continued. “It’s so funny that the cards are so stacked and people wanna spin it to be, ‘See! I told you you weren’t a star. They’re really stacking your card.’ Like, wait, what? I’m confused. That means I’m not a star because they’re stacking the card?”
He explained that UFC 299 is taking place in Miami and UFC is a business trying to capitalize and earn money. “It’s Miami,” O’Malley said. “Go find one Miami card they didn’t stack. Haters are weird. They’re like, ‘See, they’re trying to push you.’ It’s like, bro, I’ve fought like 12 times in the UFC. Pretty much every fight’s been on the main card — on a pay-per-view.
“Obviously, UFC’s a business, they’re making millions and billions of dollars, and I’m on every UFC pay-per-view. So, you’d think, well, maybe, there is some kind of star power there, hmm?”
UFC 299 Fight Card 🏆 🏝️
Main Card:
Sean O’Malley (c) vs. Marlon Vera 2 for the UFC bantamweight title
Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis
Kevin Holland vs. Michael “Venom” Page
Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Petr Yan vs. Song YadongPrelims:
Curtis Blaydes vs.… pic.twitter.com/BBYQC7cXqS
— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) March 7, 2024
UFC 299 will take place in the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on March 9, 2024. The PPV will see Dustin Poirier take on Benoit Saint-Denis and Michael ‘Venom’Page making his UFC debut against Kevin Holland, among other fights.