Andre Soukhamthath does not like his UFC 222 opponent, Sean O’Malley.

Coming into their scrap this Saturday in Las Vegas, Soukhamthath says he never thought highly of the touted prospect. Now that he’s set to fight O'Malley, Soukhamthath likes him even less.

And while Soukhamthath may not be a “Sugar Sean” fan, he does respect what his foe brings to the cage — fighting-wise. Personality-wise? Not so much.

“I think as a fighter he's very entertaining, he's got good striking, he's very creative, and very flashy,” Soukhamthath told FloCombat. “He's fun to watch, but I think his personality sucks. Of course, a lot of people like his personality, but it's that fake personality.

"Guys like me, who've been in this sport for a long time and earned their stripes, we see right through that.”

O’Malley comes into the fight firmly in the driver's seat of a speeding hype train. With an undefeated record of 9-0 with six straight knockouts, it’s easy to climb aboard.

But Soukhamthath knows he’s the man to stop that train in its tracks.

“I'm here to put that down, I'm here to shoot that down,” Soukhamthath said. “The kid's only 9-0, like, relax. He was trying to show off on the Contender Series where there were only like 50 people, (UFC President) Dana White, and (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby. It's easy to get their attention when there's less people in the room.

"I'm going to put an end to that because I've been telling a lot of people his personality, the way he carries himself, that's the last thing we need."





But Soukhamthath’s beef isn’t simply because he dislikes O’Malley’s personality. Rather, it’s what O’Malley represents as a martial artist and the image he conveys to the younger generation.

“He's going to be a role model to a lot of the younger kids, the next generation that's going to be watching Saturday night, and there's no room for that right now. We've gone past that era now," Soukhamthath said. "Conor McGregor came and did his thing — mad respect for him. He backed it up and he's a multi-millionaire now."

In Soukhamthath's eyes, the same can't be said for O'Malley.

"And who's this guy Sean O'Malley? He's got his 'Sugar Show'... He's fake as hell," Soukhamthath said. "I've seen him in person and he's nothing like that. I'm here to shut that down. I'm the real OG. I'm going to prove it to him. It’s not his boy Snoop Dogg, no.

“Andre Soukhamthath, I'm the real OG.”





Even the six consecutive knockouts don’t impress “The Real OG,” as he holds eight career knockouts himself.

Along with the power, Soukhamthath also has almost twice the experience with 17 pro fights. “The Asian Sensation” believes the clash of styles will lead to an exciting fight, and his advantages will be too much too soon for the youngster.

“It's going to be fireworks, the first round, the second round, it's going to be fireworks," Soukhamthath said. "I tell you what, if the boy can't handle my power, he's going to sleep in the second round.”

Put plainly, Soukhamthath doesn't see any way this fight ends well for O'Malley.

“I think he's in trouble,” Soukhamthath said. “He hasn't seen someone like me yet. I could preach on and on about it but it's true. He hasn't fought the guys that I've fought. Has he ever fought anybody that has 11 finishes out of 12 wins? I don't know, I'm a killer. I always go hunting for that finish.”

By Lucas Grandsire