Midnight Mania: Just Say No (To Scumbag Managers)

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight! Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Sean O’Malley has really forged his own path to MMA stardom. “Su…


UFC 292 Press Conference
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Sean O’Malley has really forged his own path to MMA stardom. “Suga” is an exciting fighter with an individual style, which certainly has helped him build a fanbase. However, he also embraced YouTube, sponsorships, and merchandising with a different level of savvy and commitment than the average UFC fighter.

One of the more unique keys to O’Malley’s recent success has been ditching his manager, meaning he takes home a higher percentage of his fight purse than most. Last week, O’Malley hinted at a bombshell revelation regarding shady fighter management and sneaky dealings.

He didn’t quite spill all the beans at Thursday’s press conference, but O’Malley once again ranted against MMA management. Initially, O’Malley just advised young fighters to be cautious and thoroughly read through any contract prior to signing — generally good advice!

“When you guys get these manager contracts just make sure you read them,” Sean O’Malley explained (via Josh Evanoff). “Look through them, have a lawyer look through them. Don’t just sign because these guys say ‘I can get you in the UFC’, they’re taking 20% of your purse, they’re taking your win bonus, they’re taking your fight bonus. I would be very very skeptical on signing their contracts.”

He continued, “You could sign with a manager but make sure you have stuff in there that’s fair to you. None of these contracts are fair to the fighters and these managers know that these fighters aren’t going to read it. We’re fighters for a reason. So I would be very very careful with these guys that are really close to the UFC.”

O’Malley doubled down later when asked to elaborate further, warning against predatory practices and once again promising a big reveal in the near future. He concluded (via BloodyElbow), “You meet scumbags on all levels of life. You can be broke and have broke scumbag friends, you can have a lot of money and there’s those rich, high-level scumbags out there. (MMA managers are) good at being scumbags. They’re good at that.”

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.