UFC: Sean O’Malley reveals peace offering from ‘legend’ Dominick Cruz at weigh-ins
- O’Malley discusses ‘face-to-face’ encounter with former champ during UFC 269 fight week after pair had traded verbal barbs
- ‘Sugar’ open to future fight with Cruz on his way to challenging the ‘best of the best’ at bantamweight
There doesn’t seem to be any bad blood between bantamweight stars Sean O’Malley and Dominick Cruz – but don’t rule out a fight between them.
O’Malley, one of the division’s hottest contenders, and Cruz, its former champion, were both back in action at UFC 269 last Saturday in Las Vegas. Cruz defeated Pedro Munhoz by decision in the penultimate bout of the undercard, and O’Malley knocked out Raulian Paiva in the first bout of the main card.
“Sugar” and “The Dominator” have long been in each other’s orbits at bantamweight, and after the pair traded a few pre-fight barbs about their positions on the UFC 269 line-up, it looked like they could be on course for a sizzling grudge match soon.
After Cruz orchestrated a quick meeting at the pre-fight weigh-ins, however, it’s clear there’s no grudge between them.
“Dom came up to us at weigh-ins,” O’Malley explained on his podcast, noting that the former champ had his hands up to signify he came in peace. “He said there was a lot of talk going on and he just wanted to talk face-to-face. Nice f****** guy. Dom’s a legend – I’ve never not said that. I don’t think I’ve ever said anything mean about Dom.”
Despite his respect for Cruz, O’Malley is still willing to meet the former champion in the Octagon.
“Dom’s a f****** legend,” he said. “That fight could definitely be down in the future.”