Sean O’Malley wants to train with Conor McGregor at Big Bear, where McGregor is currently training for his UFC return.
Big Bear, the mountain town in California, is well known for being a training ground for fighters who want to acclimate to high altitudes. McGregor will train for his upcoming UFC return there, and Sean O’Malley, a top bantamweight contender, hopes to train with him. Big Bear is situated at 6,000 feet above sea level and provides fighters with excellent training facilities and isolation.
When O’Malley discovered that McGregor would be training there, he immediately expressed his interest in working out with the Irishman. “I tweeted at him. He said he was going to Big Bear. I said, ‘can I come,’” said O’Malley on the Timbo Sugar Show on his YouTube channel. He continued, “I think that would be so sick, go up there for a couple of weeks. I’ll get my own f**king place to stay, sleep, eat, and do all that. Just training, that would be f**king sweet.”
McGregor coached The Ultimate Fighter 31 opposite lightweight contender Michael Chandler. The two are expected to fight later this year. The Ultimate Fighter 31 will debut on ESPN on May 30. While O’Malley has time on his hands, he is waiting to face the winner of champion Aljamain Sterling and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo, who headline UFC 288 in New Jersey on May 8.
Although O’Malley hasn’t had the opportunity to talk to McGregor about training together, he remains eager to do so. “I haven’t got to sit down and talk to him, but that would be sick to see them train… I could hit him up, but I don’t know, but it would be f**king really cool to go up for a couple of weeks,” said O’Malley. It remains to be seen whether or not O’Malley will have the chance to train with McGregor, but the prospect of the two fighters working together has certainly captured the public’s attention.