Dominick Cruz thinks Sean O’Malley’s success may be related to the NELK Boys. O’Malley has one of the largest social media followings among UFC competitors.
In Cruz’s opinion, this is the reason why bantamweight competitors are clamoring for a chance to compete against O’Malley.
Cruz said in an interview with The Schmo:
“The reason why people are calling out O’Malley was because he’s got the NELK Boys pushing him so he’s obviously got that YouTube push behind him, which a lot of the fighters in the division don’t have that kind of push behind them.”
“Even Dana has been on that podcast with them… So because of that, that’s why everybody’s calling out O’Malley. He’s got a big name behind him, he’s got a lot of following.”
The NELK Boys’ association with O’Malley is widely known. The rising UFC bantamweight star has often been featured on the pranksters’ show. Additionally, O’Malley was once seen having fun with the gang in Miami.
The Nelk Boys have more than seven million YouTube followers and are well known for their comedy videos. A member of the duo named Kyle Forgeard recently gained notoriety after receiving $250,000 from UFC president Dana White.
On the other hand, Sean O’Malley is apparently preparing for a significant step up in competition. He has agreed to face former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan.
O’Malley revealed that he would face Yan at UFC 280 on October 22 in Abu Dhabi. He spoke about it on a recent broadcast.
“I’m getting a fight that I wanted and the fight that people want. I’m fighting Petr Yan on October 22nd in Abu Dhabi. I’m so excited for this. I almost can’t even believe it’s real, it’s happening.”
O’Malley’s most recent match took place at UFC 276 earlier this month. A mistaken eye poke from O’Malley caused the bout to be declared a no-contest, which unfortunately led to controversy.