Sean O’Malley must have been feeling the festive cheer this holiday season as he took to a local Walmart to hand out $100 to random shoppers who passed him by. O’Malley’s reasoning for doing this makes it even better as the UFC star wanted to give back to the community following the successful year he […]
Sean O’Malley must have been feeling the festive cheer this holiday season as he took to a local Walmart to hand out $100 to random shoppers who passed him by. O’Malley’s reasoning for doing this makes it even better as the UFC star wanted to give back to the community following the successful year he has had himself.
“I literally have thousands of dollars, no cap. So, we’re going to be handing out a bunch of f***ing money to peeps. And hopefully, we can find some people that need the money. You know what I mean?”
Many people who passed O’Malley were extremely grateful, and those even more who recognised the UFC star and took the opportunity to get a photo with him as well. One woman held O’Malley’s hand and said a prayer for him to show her appreciation for what he was doing.
However, the UFC star was taken back when a handful of people passing by actually declined the offer from O’Malley but still took the time to appreciate his gesture.
Sean O’Malley Suffers Minor Injury
In the video it is clear to see that Sean O’Malley is using support on his right hand, this would later be revealed that ‘Suga’ had broken his right thumb which he believes he did back at UFC 269 following his impressive first round TKO over Raulian Paiva.
This isn’t the first time O’Malley has suffered from injuries and following on from that performance told the world in a post-fight interview the issues he was having heading into his matchup at UFC 269.
“I haven’t grappled or sparred in three weeks. I was lying in bed one night, 99 percent sure I was going to pull out of this fight. I couldn’t grapple, I couldn’t spar. All I could do was run and hit mitts and I just knew how many people wanted to come out here and wanted to watch me fight and I just couldn’t pull out.” (transcribed by sportskeeda.com)
UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley says he doesn’t want to compete in five-round fights unless he is paid very lucratively.
O’Malley is edging ever closer towards main event territory and is arguably already there, mostly due to his charisma …
UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley says he doesn’t want to compete in five-round fights unless he is paid very lucratively.
O’Malley is edging ever closer towards main event territory and is arguably already there, mostly due to his charisma and recognizable name. Since a setback against Marlon Vera in 2020 stalled his surge, a defeat that marked his first in the sport, “Sugar” has proved why he’s so highly touted.
In three 2021 contests, O’Malley added three wins to his record, recorded three finishes, and earned three $50,000 bonuses. After a brutal knockout against Thomas Almeida and a record-breaking striking performance opposite Kris Moutinho, O’Malley closed out his perfect year by finishing formerly-ranked Brazilian Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.
O’Malley: “I Don’t Want A Fucking Five-Round Fight”
In the aftermath of O’Malley’s latest victory came a jump into the rankings. With his #12 position on the bantamweight ladder will come an increase in competition, as well as the likelihood of five-round contests. But that’s something “Sugar” is hoping to avoid for the time being.
During an appearance on the Full Send Podcast, O’Malley made his feelings for 25-minute contests clear. For the extra money he’d currently receive for them, he’s not at all interested.
“I don’t want a fucking five-round fight,” O-Malley said. “They’re gonna give me like, $20,000 extra to go fight, basically another fight, 10 minutes. I’m like, ‘I’m not gonna fucking do that.'”
Despite that, O’Malley knows it’s an inevitability, especially if he is to reach the heights in the UFC he has aspirations for. But given the extra preparation needed, the 27-year-old says he’d be after a hefty paycheck to make it happen.
“When I’m champ, yeah. There comes a point, you can’t say no to the UFC, you know what I mean? I’d rather not fight five rounds unless you wanna pay me a fucking lot more money. You know how much more training goes (into it). That was like a 10-week camp (ahead of UFC 269) for 15 minutes. That’s a hard camp. I think, though, with the level of cardio I was in, I could have gone five rounds, just because when you’re in there, you’re not gonna give up, you’re not gonna fall, you’re gonna fight.
“But five rounds, that’s a lot. That’s 25 minutes of fucking fist-fighting. I’d like to be paid, if I’m gonna do that, paid equally. That’s a long time to fucking fight, dude.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CX14GhFvzUG/
Despite his successful 2021, many in the MMA community still doubt O’Malley’s title credentials and ability to compete with the elite at 135 pounds. It stands to reason that idea will be tested in 2022.
Whether against a top-10 opponent or fellow surging striker Adrian Yanez, we’ll likely see “Sugar” tested like he’s never been tested before. Although it’s safe to say we’ll have to wait to see him tested beyond 15 minutes…
Do you agree with Sean O’Malley’s stance on five-round fights?
Boxing royalty Teddy Atlas believes rising UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley has all the makings of a star in combat sports.
O’Malley has quickly grown into one of the most recognized and talked about names in the world’s premier MMA organization. Tha…
Boxing royalty Teddy Atlas believes rising UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley has all the makings of a star in combat sports.
O’Malley has quickly grown into one of the most recognized and talked about names in the world’s premier MMA organization. That’s down to his unique combination of charisma, eccentric appearance, and clear talent once the cage door closes behind him.
Since a defeat to Marlon Vera briefly stalled his surge up the bantamweight ladder, O’Malley has been back to his best. In three 2021 appearances, “Sugar” secured a trio of finishes and a $50,000 bonus to make each one that bit sweeter. After triumphs over Thomas Almeida and Kris Moutinho, O’Malley made his biggest impact at the final pay-per-view of the year.
In the main card opener, the Montana native faced the toughest test since his setback against “Chito,” the formerly-ranked Raulian Paiva. Inside the opening round, O’Malley recorded another highlight-reel knockout and had the crowd inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on their feet.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CX14GhFvzUG/
With his latest Octagon success, O’Malley entered the top 15 at 135 pounds. Now sitting at #12, “The Suga Show” is well and truly on its way in the UFC, something that doesn’t surprise one of the most experienced men in combat sports.
In an interview with The Schmo, Atlas, a renowned boxing trainer, spoke about O’Malley’s rise in the UFC. According to him, the 27-year-old has all the traits and characteristics of a future star.
“He’s got all the makings of a star. Obviously the look, the ‘it’ factor when he gets into the ring; he lights it up. He’s charismatic, he’s smart… He’s got that ‘it’ factor. But he can fight, too… With all that stuff going on, O’Malley can fight.
“We wanna see him tested, of course. But there are special privileges out there, let’s be real. When a guy can bring money in, when a guy can be Conor McGregor, or potentially Conor McGregor, they get a little special privileges, where they can fight, maybe, a little bit of a lighter competition as they’re allowed the build. I think he’s (O’Malley) probably fallen under that category. They wanna use him a little bit, I think, to help the brand again, you know, build UFC like any other brand, like the NFL. Why do they go to Europe? To build the brand.”
Teddy Atlas Cautions O’Malley Against Davis Callout
Sean O’Malley, Gervonta Davis
O’Malley has often been compared to MMA’s biggest superstar Conor McGregor. After becoming a two-division champion in the UFC, the Irishman ventured to the squared circle to take on the undefeated Floyd Mayweather in the sport’s biggest ‘money’ fight.
While some distance away from that level of superstardom and success in MMA, some have suggested O’Malley could be a potential crossover sensation in the future. Th comes at a time when the likes of Tyron Woodley, Vitor Belfort, and Anderson Silva have all laced the gloves in recent months.
UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has even called for a clash with Canelo Alvarez, a bout that would mark the first boxing P4P vs. UFC P4P contest. While Atlas acknowledged Usman’s improving striking and immense physicality, he believes a fast and slick fighter on the feet like O’Malley would fare better in-between the ropes.
“Just because he’s (Usman) a strong guy, you gotta be honest, he couldn’t just come in, you know, because he doesn’t have one area where you can say he’s real cute, he’s real elusive. You know who’d have a better shot? In putting him in boxing in a more open way or a more across-the-board way, that he could have some success? O’Malley. Because he’s a bit more like a cutie, you know, where he can be slick. You could put him in with a guy who’s maybe a little slow-footed, a guy that’s not really busy.”
Despite having aspirations of grandeur in the UFC, O’Malley has discussed a potential future in the ring. He even recently called out former multi-weight world champion Gervonta Davis. Although Atlas sees that callout as perhaps a little extreme, he does believe “Sugar” can find success in boxing.
“Listen, Davis isn’t necessarily a seek and destroy guy. He likes to counterpunch, he’s a real smart guy, and everything. But you’re (O’Malley) calling out a guy who’s very dangerous. You make one mistake with him, in a new place, that’s obviously a new realm for him, you make one mistake and you’re not surviving. So that’s a tough callout.
UFC 269: Sean O’Malley vs. Raulian Paiva (Image Credit: Louis Grasse/PxImages)
“But O’Malley, again, could probably pick more guys, because there’s versatility that he could do well in boxing, than you could with Usman. There’s not one area where you could say Usman was real slick, or he’s got a great jab, or he can fight not he inside, so it’d be more problematic finding a guy, even though Usman has incredible physical abilities.”
O’Malley’s boxing credentials could be further tested in his next appearance. The rising contender has called out fellow surging striker Adrian Yanez, whilst also leaving the door open to a clash with Rob Font, a contender well known for his jab.
Whoever O’Malley faces next and in the future, it stands to reason that if he keeps winning, we’ll be seeing him test the waters of the sweet science before his career is out.
Do you agree with Teddy Atlas? Would Sean O’Malley find more success in the ring than Kamaru Usman?
UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley thinks a couple of UFC stars could give Jake Paul issues in the boxing ring.
O’Malley knows a thing or two about boxing, as he’s widely regarded as arguably one of the best boxers in the UFC. He most recentl…
UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley thinks a couple of UFC stars could give Jake Paul issues in the boxing ring.
O’Malley knows a thing or two about boxing, as he’s widely regarded as arguably one of the best boxers in the UFC. He most recently earned a dominant knockout win over Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.
Paul has attracted the attention of many around the MMA community, especially after his knockout over Tyron Woodley. Paul has managed to keep up the MMA vs. boxing narrative with his fights and callouts.
“Masvidal or Kamaru would be the toughest fights for Jake boxing-wise,” O’Malley said.
After his knockout over Woodley, Paul also called out Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor as two potential opponents. Despite O’Malley’s endorsements of Usman and Masvidal to face Paul, he explained the difficulties of negotiating the potential bouts.
“Diaz, Masvidal, Kamaru, that can’t even be negotiated,” O’Malley continued. “You cannot negotiate under UFC contract, so those fights will not happen unless Dana really wants to see Jake lose and is very, very confident in one of his fighters, that they can beat him. But even then, I don’t know if he would let them fight. I don’t know. We’ll see what’s next. I don’t think it’ll be anyone on the UFC roster.”
Sean O’Malley, Jake Paul Planning On Big 2022
O’Malley has praised Jake and Logan Paul in the past, going as far as to say he’s felt inspired by watching their career transitions. The Paul brothers have managed to take their large following from content creation into the sport of boxing.
O’Malley and Paul are both on winning streaks to wrap up 2021. Paul is undefeated in his young boxing career, while O’Malley has won three UFC bouts in a row.
O’Malley and Paul are two of the more polarizing young stars in their respective sports, but that hasn’t stopped the two of them from having mutual respect for one another.
Do you think Kamaru Usman or Jorge Masvidal would outbox Jake Paul?
Newly-ranked bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley has criticized comments Joe Rogan made on commentary during his UFC 269 victory over Raulian Paiva.
O’Malley closed out a strong year for “The Suga Show” last weekend at the final pay-per-view of 20…
Newly-ranked bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley has criticized comments Joe Rogan made on commentary during his UFC 269 victory over Raulian Paiva.
O’Malley closed out a strong year for “The Suga Show” last weekend at the final pay-per-view of 2021. Having rebounded from his first loss in MMA to Marlon Vera with back-to-back finishes over Thomas Almeida and Kris Moutinho, the 27-year-old aimed to make it three from three against Brazil’s Paiva.
Towards the end of the opening round, O’Malley had the crowd at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on their feet after recording yet another knockout finish. A brutal combination against the cage slumped Paiva and forced the referee to step in. The victory ensured O’Malley’s path to the top remained on track and saw him enter the rankings at #13 in the latest update.
Although in high spirits in the aftermath of his latest triumph, O’Malley did take aim at color commentator Daniel Cormier, something that seems to be a weekly occurrence at the moment, with Dominick Cruz and Alexander Volkanovski also recently expressing their disdain at the former two-division UFC champion’s mic work.
But O’Malley has now set his sights on another man at the desk, renowned podcast host, stand-up comedian, and combat sports enthusiast Joe Rogan.
O’Malley Encourages Rogan To “Form A Knowledgeable Opinion”
Sean O’Malley, Joe Rogan
While Rogan is no longer as present in UFC coverage as he used to be, now only covering the US-based pay-per-views (unless he has a hunting trip, of course), many still see his voice as an integral part of big events and he remains a popular figure. That’s the case for O’Malley, who signs off his post-fight interviews with the veteran broadcaster by saying, “I fucking love you Joe Rogan.”
While the love is still there, it’s seemingly been joined by some heavy frustration. Speaking on a recent episode of his TimboSugarShow podcast, O’Malley slammed the commentary team for pushing a narrative that suggested he is susceptible to leg kicks.
“They said, ‘I don’t know why, when you’re going to fight Sean, you don’t throw more leg kicks. He clearly had a problem in the Chito fight with the leg kicks.’ I fight Thomas Almeida, who’s a fucking good kickboxer, who tried kicking my legs… I countered, he landed a couple, I did a couple good things with the leg kicks. Kris Moutinho, who probably kicked my legs more than Thomas, still kicked my legs.”
The idea that O’Malley can be heavily damaged by low kicks came after he suffered a few injuries whilst in the Octagon, including one that led to the only blemish on his record to date. Against “Chito” Vera in 2020, a kick appeared to connect with O’Malley’s peroneal nerve, essentially giving him a case of ‘drop foot’.
Prior to that, O’Malley suffered an injury towards the end of his decision victory over Andre Soukhamthath, leading to the infamous post-fight interview that saw Rogan speak to “Sugar” while he was being tended to on the mat.
Joe Rogan, Sean O’Malley
Despite maintaining the love he has for the UFC mainstay, O’Malley suggested Rogan hadn’t watched his defeat to Vera enough to form a “knowledgeable opinion.”
“You can just say anything on the mic. Everyone knows how much I fucking love Joe Rogan. I say it after my fights… He might have watched that Chito fight one time while he was sitting there and then his opinion is what he saw right there. But dude, he got one kick that hit my nerve… He did land a couple of good leg kicks after that, but I was on one leg and I still pieced him up. If you’re gonna commentate and bring up that fight, every single time I fight, go watch it and form a knowledgeable opinion about it.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
O’Malley’s claim is fairly similar to Cruz’s remarks about “DC.” The former two-time bantamweight titleholder accused Cormier of not watching enough tape and doing enough research to be able to call fights correctly.
But unlike that case, which saw many in the community agree with “The Dominator,” the narrative that O’Malley can be compromised by heavy leg kicks has been pretty prevalent, especially since his setback last year.
Was Joe Rogan wrong to suggest Sean O’Malley is susceptible to leg kicks?
Sean O’Malley has offered his opinion on a potential fight between Paddy Pimblett and Donald Cerrone. ‘The Baddy’ made his eagerly anticipated UFC debut earlier this and survived a few scary moments to score a vicious knockout win over Luigi Vendramini. ‘Cowboy’ appears destined for the UFC Hall of Fame after enjoying a long and […]
Sean O’Malley has offered his opinion on a potential fight between Paddy Pimblett and Donald Cerrone.
‘The Baddy’ made his eagerly anticipated UFC debut earlier this and survived a few scary moments to score a vicious knockout win over Luigi Vendramini.
‘Cowboy’ appears destined for the UFC Hall of Fame after enjoying a long and successful career in MMA’s premier promotion. However, that career appears to be coming to an end with Cerrone winless in his last six fights.
It seems an unlikely match-up but according to Chael Sonnen, Cerrone has specifically asked for a fight with Pimblett and the two could well square off in March.
In the latest edition of The BrOMalley Show, ‘Suga’ commented on the potential fight between Pimblett and Cerrone, expressing his view that the match-up could go well for the Liverpudlian.
“God, he might beat ‘Cowboy’ [Cerrone] ‘cause ‘Cowboy’ does not do good in pressure situations,” O’Malley said. “And Paddy’s gonna bring that anxiety, that, ‘Oh my God, you’re fighting Paddy,’ that feeling. Might be a good fight for Paddy. But ‘Cowboy’s’ saying, ‘I’m not fighting for anyone other than myself.’ This fight’s different.”
Sean O’Malley Is Concerned About Paddy Pimblett’s Weight Gain
Pimblett is a food lover who competes at 155lbs but tends to put on quite a lot of weight between fights. After several months out of training, the former Cage Warriors featherweight champion has apparently ballooned to 190lbs and this is something that doesn’t sit right with O’Malley.
“Paddy Pimblett’s revealed he’s gained 35 pounds. He looks fat as sh**.” Additionally, regarding Pimblett cutting down to lightweight [155 pounds], Sean noted, “It’s not healthy, dude. That is not f**king healthy.” (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)
Do you agree with Sean O’Malley’s take on Paddy Pimblett vs. Donald Cerrone? Who would you be backing if they fought?
Sean O’Malley has offered his opinion on a potential fight between Paddy Pimblett and Donald Cerrone. ‘The Baddy’ made his eagerly anticipated UFC debut earlier this and survived a few scary moments to score a vicious knockout win over Luigi Vendramini. ‘Cowboy’ appears destined for the UFC Hall of Fame after enjoying a long and […]