Three days of no apps is doing something to O’Malley, who has vowed not to return to social media until after his next fight.
If you’ve got a New Years Resolution you’re looking to start in 2025, why wait? Start now! That’s what “Suga” Sean O’Malley did and he’s already feeling … well, he’s feeling some way about it.
The social media star declared his intention to ditch social media last week, hoping the move would ensure he made his way back to the bantamweight championship. The 30-year-old seems pretty chronically online, so it’s no small move. Let’s see how that’s playing out, Cotton.
“I said I was going to start in 2025,” O’Malley said on his TimBoSugaShow podcast (transcription via MMA Junkie). “But it’s been like two or three days and I already feel more disconnected from the internet universe … Even just three days or whatever it’s been, I already feel like the original reason — and I don’t know how to articulate this yet — I feel like my higher self is trying to tell me something.”
“I’m trying to learn something, but I’m too distracted and out of touch with reality to grasp what’s trying to be taught from my higher self. And I feel like the only way to do that is just to disconnect from distractions.”
Doom scrolling is a very real thing, and social media networks are designed to maximize mindless, endless semi-digestion of questionable content. You may have gotten to this article through a social network, but for the two minutes you’re reading this article, you’re straying from the 1.7 second dopamine drip being delivered by your phone. It may feel uncomfortable and even anxiety inducing if you don’t go back after this, but great things are possible if you decide to live a less distracted life.
“Social media is the biggest distraction right now for me,” O’Malley continued. “I’ve already started reading more, writing more. It’s just going to force me to continue to do stuff like that, and that’s where I feel like I’m going to be able to learn this lesson of whatever is trying to be taught to me. I feel like it’s already been good. 2025 is going to be exciting. I’m not going to be on social, I said, until my next fight, but ideally I can just keep that going. I don’t want to do podcasts, I don’t want to do interviews.”
Rizin announce Sean O’Malley will be there in Saitama Super Arena before weigh ins of #RIZIN_DECADE to special appearance. pic.twitter.com/7hUYmuB7P8
— Bruno Massami (????? ???????) (@BrMassami) December 27, 2024
What “Suga” wants to do is beat the winner of the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov bantamweight title fight at UFC 311 on January 18th.
“I feel like I need to level up, especially to beat Umar, to beat Merab, to beat whoever’s next,” he said. “To beat these top guys in the world, you’ve got to be doing everything right, and I feel like I am. I’m doing my rehab, I’m doing my physical therapy, I’m doing everything right. This is another, just a little bit more of a step up.”
Anything is probably better than popping pain pills and hitting on Instagram celebrities like the Hawk Tuah girl. To Sean and everyone else looking to figure out a healthier relationship with their internet usage, we salute you. May we suggest a simple, efficient regiment like checking MMA Mania three to four times a day? Just kidding. But that feels way more reasonable than staring at X (formerly Twitter) until you feel like crap, and then staring at it some more.