BKFC champion Kai Stewart wasn’t essentially on the lookout for a battle in opposition to fellow Montana native Sean O’Malley, however now he really likes that concept.
As he prepares to defend his title on dwelling soil in opposition to UFC veteran Jimmie Rivera on Saturday, Stewart addressed his beef with O’Malley, which dates again to UFC 292, the evening that the flamboyant Contender Sequence veteran first captured the bantamweight championship. It was an odd interplay when O’Malley was requested in regards to the rise of fight sports activities in Montana and when Stewart’s identify was talked about, he responded by saying “that child sucks … he’s in my DMs speaking shit, I don’t even know this child.”
It seems the direct message was from 4 years in the past however apparently O’Malley by no means forgot.
“So the DM in query was from 2020, this was 2023 when he beat [Aljamain Sterling],” Stewart instructed MMA Preventing. “It’s from 2020, he posted one thing about wrestlers and one in every of my actually good mates is Myles Mazurkiewicz, should you kind that identify versus Sean O’Malley on YouTube, you’ll see what occurs.
“My solely unfavourable DM to him was, ‘What about Myles Mazurkiewicz, the one wrestler you’ve ever confronted?’ Apparently that caught as a result of three years down the street he hit me with that.”
The battle in query got here when O’Malley was nonetheless an newbie and he suffered a loss to Mazurkiewicz, was a standout wrestler on the College of Windfall in Montana. Stewart says that was the one personal message he ever despatched to O’Malley and that seemingly innocuous interplay led to some in poor health emotions between them.
Along with that incident, Stewart revealed he additionally acquired a possibility from O’Malley’s group to face off with one in every of his coaching companions with the now-former UFC champion providing up a bonus to make the battle occur. Whereas Stewart does have a professional MMA bout on his résumé, he’s now a reigning and defending BKFC champion and he has no plans to burn the promotion by making an attempt to pursue a grudge match in opposition to one in every of O’Malley’s boys.
“They mentioned, ‘Sean O’Malley will provide you with $20,000 should you can join and battle in opposition to our man and win,’” Stewart mentioned. “I used to be like clearly I’m not giving up my world title to battle a 1-0 professional fighter in MMA. Completely not. It’s simply little issues like that. They’re simply making an attempt actual laborious to see a downfall in me as a result of I believe they’re simply scared that I’m coming, particularly after that Merab [Dvalishvili] battle.”
Regardless of the simmering dangerous blood between them, Stewart says he nonetheless overtly roots for O’Malley at any time when he competes as a result of he at all times desires to indicate assist to his fellow fighters from Montana.
“I’ve rooted for him each single battle,” Stewart mentioned. “Folks mentioned Merab was simply going to do what he did to O’Malley and I assumed it was doable but additionally I noticed how chinny Merab is. If I used to be going to place my cash down on the battle, I’d most likely put my cash on Sean. That’s what I used to be telling individuals. Sean is a sniper. Then Merab went out and did that.
“I nonetheless supported him via every little thing as a result of Montana to the moon. However finally the forces are going to conflict and it’s going to be good. If there’s any beef, it’s the Montana method, let’s simply maintain it.”
It might sound unimaginable to think about a battle between Stewart and O’Malley contemplating they don’t compete in the identical promotion a lot much less the identical sport. That mentioned, Stewart is aware of new BKFC proprietor Conor McGregor has already pitched the concept of doing crossover fights with the UFC and he doesn’t rule out the chance {that a} showdown in opposition to O’Malley may really occur someday.
“Conor posted not too long ago about doing crossovers with Dana [White], Conor continues to be tremendous marketed via the UFC, he’s in each business that they’ve in order that holds weight,” Stewart mentioned. “I positively slid up and hopefully we are able to get that battle arrange someday irrespective of the place we do it.
“I’m leaving the door open. I’m within the place the place I’m prepared to go to 135. I’m prepared to go to MMA. I’m prepared to do it in bare-knuckle. I’m prepared to do it at 145. I’m prepared to do it at a catchweight. The ball is totally and actually in O’Malley’s court docket. That’s what I needed. So long as I stay king of BKFC, it’s far more doubtless we are able to get a fatter payday over right here than we may over there.”
Stewart maintains he actually doesn’t have something in opposition to O’Malley however he additionally loves the concept of two high fighters from Montana squaring off to settle no matter beef exists between them.
“If there’s any beef, it’s the Montana method, let’s simply maintain it,” Stewart mentioned. “I’ll battle O’Malley in MMA, naked knuckle, we are able to do no matter he desires. I’m going to take it dwelling.”
