Sean O’Malley: The Sweet ‘Sugar’ Of The UFC

Many combat sports fighters want to make more of a statement than just in the cage or ring; they also want to shock the audience with their character and appearance too.

And if you have been watching the UFC, you may have seen a new fighter with pink braided hair and tattoos.

Well, that is the future superstar, Sean O’Malley. Sean has been making a big name for himself, not just for his fighting, but from podcasting and other news. He has recently publicly said he injects stem cells into his penis, which, as you could imagine, hit the headlines.

So, who is Sean O’Malley?

Stats

Reach: 72″
Stance: Switch
DOB: Oct 24, 1994,
Nickname: Sugar
Weight: Bantamweight 61kg
Height: 5’11
Fight record: 18 fights-16 wins

Sean Daniel O’Malley, also known as ‘Sugar’, is an American professional mixed martial artist born Oct 24 1994. He got the nickname “Sugar” from one of his MMA coaches, and when Sean O’Malley asked, “why Sugar?” his coach responded, “because you’re sweet to watch.” Sean competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is currently ranked No.1 in his weight class.

He has had 18 MMA fights with only one loss, and 1 was a no-contest. “Sugar” Sean O’Malley claims he got into combat sports to be attractive to girls, so he started kickboxing at 16. Sean’s debut MMA fight was on Intense Championship Fighting on Mar 6 2015. He entered the UFC on Jul 18 2017, against Alfred Khashakyan, in week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Sean is now fast becoming a UFC star and is ranked the No.1 contender from the champion Aljamain Sterling after beating Petr Yan in UFC 280. Sean is an exciting fighter who is a sharp striker and knockout artist. One blink and his opponents have been on the receiving end of a right hand. Dana White believes he could reach Conor McGregor’s levels of stardom as long as he keeps winning in the Octagon!

Sean O’Malley’s Best Fights

Sean’s last fight against former Bantamweight champion Petr Yan was smothered in controversy when the judges gave it a split decision, meaning two judges favoured Sean, whereas the other favoured Petr to win.

You can learn more about the decisions in combat sports in our article here.

Sean made it clear on social media that he was easily victorious. However, the fight was closer than we thought as it came down to the first round, as all three judges agreed that Yan won Round 2 and O’Malley won Round 3. Cartlidge and Lethaby both gave Round 1 to O’Malley.

His previous fight before was against Pedro Munhoz, which got stopped and marked as a no-contest as an accidental eye poke to Pedro’s eye stopped the fight in the second round.

Sean O’Malley Boxing

In 2016, Sean O’Malley was 4-0 in his professional MMA career and unfortunately injured his ankle while sparring at The MMA Lab, which left him unable to train MMA.

Talking on his own YouTube channel, the UFC bantamweight said rather than sitting idle; he trained in boxing instead. He went to a local boxing gym named Hammer Boxing, and to prevent further injury, he wrapped his foot heavily and put on boxing shoes. It only took O’Malley only two months to land himself a boxing fight. Sean won his first and only professional boxing fight.

Sean O’Malley and Bryce Mitchell Controversy

Last month at UFC 280, Sean O’Malley defeated Petr Yan, defying expectations that he couldn’t. He accomplished this through a split decision, solidifying his position as the top contender at bantamweight.

“I also have to pick Yan over O’Malley. This is because, once again, O’Malley has yet to earn that spot. He’s used his mouth to get him that fight. His YouTube followers ain’t gonna help him once the cage doors get locked.”

After winning the bout, O’Malley responded to the up-and-coming featherweight with the following brief statement.

“Your dad f***ed his sister to make you.”

After that, Mitchell responded in an interview with Sportskeeda.

“Yeah, he called me inbred. I’m gonna deal with that when I see him. He’s gonna have to move up, I’m sure; he’s six-foot or something tall…he needs to…he needs to move up a weight class. And I do believe that we’re gonna clash. He can pick how he wants to, but he will lose.”

Podcast with Andrew Tate

Sean O’Malley has a huge following, with over 2.7 million Instagram followers and over 500 thousand Youtube subscribers. Sean continues to grow his audience outside the Octagon as he runs his podcast, The Timbo Sugar Show, with his friend and head coach, Tim Welch. The show has had many famous guest appearances, including Andrew Tate, who discussed a fight between Andrew Tate vs Logan Paul. Tate said on Sean’s podcast that he isn’t past it yet, but insists Logan needs to lay off the juice and prove he is a clean athlete.

Sean also had a podcast with Logan Paul discussing his views on Andrew Tate. Logan goes off saying he would love to fight Tate in the UFC, but Sean claims he can only see ever being a boxing fight.

O’Malley voiced his opinion over the seeming randomness of the face-off video that Jake Paul shared, much like the rest of the world.

Sean O’Malley produced a video on his YouTube channel discussing the potential fight. Tate has a tonne of battle experience, but Paul is the more seasoned professional boxer. This might be a compelling matchup, regardless of how you feel about the two.

The possibility that this might not be a combat setup but rather a publicity ploy first troubled Sean O’Malley, who saw similarities between himself and Paul.

Is that what is next for Jake Paul? A risky fight for Jake. There is always a puncher’s chance, and Andrew is a big dude. Experienced.”

How to watch the fights of Sean O’Malley

United Kingdom residents can watch UFC events on BT Sports. The Ultimate Fighting Championships are shown on BT Sport in the UK, and fight fans may manage all the action for a monthly fee or, very infrequently, through the BT Sport Box Office.

Fans in the UK can watch early preliminary and preliminary matches for UFC Fight Night and UFC PPV events on UFC Fight Pass.

A digital streaming service called UFC FIGHT PASS offers fans access to hundreds of hours of material and live events worldwide. FIGHT PASS offers behind-the-scenes, exclusive, and unique content accessible round-the-clock every day of the year.

When does Sean O’Malley compete?

O’Malley is one of the American Ultimate Fighting Championship’s quickest emerging stars; hence he frequently appears on the Main Card of PPV events and in the main event of UFC Fight Night shows.

O’Malley typically fights between 3 AM and 6 AM BST if he is on the main event of a PPV card in the United States.

These times can change frequently depending on where O’Malley is on the fight card, but if it’s a UFC Fight Night show, it’s doubtful he’ll be competing in anything other than the co-main event.

Final thoughts

As previously mentioned, the entertainment factor is a huge part of the fight game and there hasn’t been such an impact by such a flamboyant superstar since Conor McGregor, baring the recent rise of Paddy Pimblett. Sean O’Malley has hit each and every possible way to male himself a fan favourite, whether it be his eccentric hair style, antics over social media platforms, and his podcast has received a large interest from the fans.

Love him or hate him, there is no doubt Sean ‘Sugar’ O’Malley will progress to be one of the biggest names in the UFC. And at such a young age, there is plenty more to come.