He's the sport's ranking "Suga" man.
He's making the first defense of a newly won bantamweight title.
And he's headlining his first pay-per-view as champion in one of the company's go-to big-market destinations—UFC 299 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
It's precisely the sort of pressure that's buckled hotshots in the past.
But it's also precisely the sort of showcase that Sean O'Malley's always craved.
Which means, the 29-year-old told Bleacher Report, that nerves are simply not a factor.
"I wanted to be in this position," he said.
"Some guys just wanna fight, and, you know, be champ and not really deal with all the extra stuff, and they don't.