Sean O’Malley was highly impressed by his trip to Japan for RIZIN 49 at Saitama Super Arena and expressed a strong desire to return, ideally to fight there under UFC rules.
Sean O’Malley’s recent visit to Japan left a lasting mark on him. His enthusiasm was palpable.
This week, he attended RIZIN 49 as a guest fighter. It was the promotion’s traditional New Year’s Eve show at Saitama Super Arena. For O’Malley, it was his first time at this annual spectacle. Afterward, in a media scrum, “Suga” expressed his eagerness to return soon.
“The production of the show was incredible,” O’Malley said. “The energy in the arena was incredible, the ring girls are incredible.” He added, “Overall impression of Japan: this has been the most fun trip I’ve ever been on and I would love to come back.”
Saitama Super Arena holds a legendary status in MMA circles. It’s hosted some of the biggest events in Pride FC history. The yearly New Year’s Eve show adds to its lore. Now, having experienced it firsthand, O’Malley dreams of one day joining the list of fighters who have competed there.
“Right now, obviously, I’m with the UFC,” O’Malley mentioned. “I plan to be with the UFC forever.” He continued, “So if the UFC comes here someday, I would love to fight in this arena. There’s a good energy here.”
The UFC has visited Japan nine times overall. Five of those events were at Saitama. Yet, they haven’t returned since a Fight Night event in 2017. Dana White seems to have a positive rapport with RIZIN president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. They recently attended UFC 310 together, sparking rumors of a potential return.
If the UFC makes its way back to Japan and O’Malley gets his chance to fight there, he has one stipulation: he’ll stick to UFC rules, not PRIDE rules.
O’Malley noted a key difference: “The ring is a lot softer than the UFC,” he remarked. “The UFC platform is thinner.” He elaborated that the ruleset benefits him more when head kicks aren’t allowed from certain positions. “If I get taken down I’m usually on my back,” he explained. “So that would probably not be as good for me.” Intriguing contrast!