The UFC bantamweight “unranked champ” Sean O’Malley has a spot on the UFC 269 main card while division legend Dominick Cruz will compete on the prelims, and “Sugar” believes that has to hurt the ego of “The Dominator.”
The promotion’s final pay-per-view event of 2021 is just a week away and the lineup for the Dec. 11 card is set. And surprisingly, the eighth and ninth-ranked fighters on the MixedMartialArts.com bantamweight rankings — Cruz (23-3) and Pedro Munhoz (19-6) — are not on the night’s main card. Despite facing each other in a pivotal matchup to maintain top-10 relevancy in the best division in the UFC.
However, unranked and popular 135-pound talent O’Malley (14-1) will be opening the night on PPV against a former flyweight competing for just the second time at 135-pounds. During a Tuesday appearance on “>The Schmo podcast, the 27-year-old was asked about the former division king not making the main card. And although he admits Cruz will be paid the same nonetheless, being lower than two unranked contemporaries on the same card has to sting the bantamweight legends pride.
Sean O’Malley claims few are excited to see Dominick Cruz vs Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269
“He messed up. I called out him and Pedro Munhoz and now they’re on the prelims. I guess it doesn’t really matter. They’re gonna get paid the same, whether they are on the main card or the prelims. I’m gonna get paid the same whether I open up the main card or on the prelims, so as far as making money, it doesn’t really matter. We’re getting paid the same,” O’Malley said.
“For your ego, that’s gotta hurt you know? Being talked about as one of the best bantamweights ever and you’re on the prelims. I don’t even know if he’s headlining the prelims. ‘Prelim Pedro’ versus Dominick, it just makes sense down there. I haven’t talked to anybody that’s super excited for that fight. I mean I think they’re both top-10. Me and [Raulian] Paiva aren’t even ranked and we’re opening up the main card,” he added. “I think it just goes to show, I’m the unranked champ.”
Cruz has headlined or competed in the co-main event on nine separate occasions during his runs in WEC and UFC. However, this will not be his first appearance on a UFC preliminary card. He was the featured matchup in the last bout before the UFC 259 main card in March.
UFC 269 takes place on Dec. 11 from inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The event is headlined by a lightweight championship bout pitting new division king Charles Oliveira versus top contender and former interim champion Dustin Poirier. The event will kick off at 6 pm ET with the preliminary portion of the card and is then followed by the main card at 10 pm ET.
Do you agree with O’Malley’s assertion that being in a preliminary bout next weekend has to sting Cruz’s ego a little bit?
