December 5, 2023 7:40 pm ET
Raul Rosas Jr. believes there are two sides to Sean O’Malley’s reign as UFC bantamweight champion.
The 19-year-old prospect thinks that O’Malley holding the title at 135 pounds is a great thing but also a bad thing – especially if you’re a title-aspiring top contender.
Rosas (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who one day hopes to fight for the belt, acknowledges the skill set and hype that O’Malley brings to the table, which is a good thing for anyone competing in the division. However, he also sees a possibility where that same stardom can get in the way of the natural course of the division.
“I think it’s good for the division because it brings more attention to the division,” Rosas told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I know that he’s someone that, if we ever fight in the future, it’s a fight that would be huge in the division. I don’t know if it will ever happen because I think he’s looking for – like I don’t know if he’s going to defend his title much because I saw he was trying to fight Gervonta Davis and stuff like that, so I don’t know if he’s going to want to do other things.
“Also, the truth is that there are a lot of tough styles for him that are in title contention in my opinion: Merab being one of them. So let’s see what happens. … Him being champion, in a way it’s bad for the division, for the guys that truly deserve to fight for the title. But at the same time, it’s also good for the division because he brings a lot of attention.”
O’Malley, easily one of the biggest names in MMA, recently crowned himself champion. He knocked out Aljamain Sterling this past August at UFC 292 to win the bantamweight belt.
“Suga” is scheduled to return against the only man that’s ever beaten him, Marlon Vera. The two are set to rematch in March in the main event of UFC 299.
Like many, Rosas is split in this championship bout.
“I think that ‘Chito’ can beat him, but the truth is that the way I saw Sean O’Malley in his last fight, I think his is his best moment, so I think he’s more dangerous than when ‘Chito’ fought him the first time,” Rosas said. “However, I also feel ‘Chito’ broke him a bit, and having that is good. ‘Chito’ knows he broke him once, so entering a second fight, that’s going to help him.”
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