Idol to rival: O'Malley, McGregor send virtual jabs

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- Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 7, 2024, 12:12 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for "MMA Live" * Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun REACTIONS Conor McGregor and Sean O'Malley have shown a mutual respect and even admiration for each other for years -- but those days appear to be over.
The UFC stars are caught up in a rift this week, after McGregor included O'Malley in a post on social media in which he called for a "lifetime ban" of professional boxer Ryan Garcia.
Garcia, with whom McGregor also had a solid relationship previously, tested positive for the banned substance ostarine prior to upsetting Devin Haney on April 20 in New York.
He went on to say Garcia's situation reminded him of O'Malley, who tested positive for the same substance in 2018.