5 things every Sean O'Malley fan needs to know

Sean O'Malley is currently one of the hottest prospects in the UFC's bantamweight division. Although presently unranked, he has garnered much praise from the MMA community for his high-volume striking, pinpoint accuracy, and high finish rate. He is tipped to be the next superstar in the UFC and a future champion.

'Suga' Sean is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but likes to strike much more than grapple on the floor. He has one submission win and ten knockouts (four in the UFC) that clearly indicate his love for striking. Given his 1-0 record in professional boxing, it makes all the more sense.

In this article, we look at five interesting facts every Sean O'Malley fan needs to know:

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#5. Sean O'Malley's history of leg injuries

Sean O'Malley's leg injury leads to a loss against Marlon Vera [Image credit: The Sun]

After going 7-0 in his MMA career, Sean O'Malley erupted onto the scene with a knockout win in Dana White's Contender Series in 2017. In 2018, he came very close to suffering the first loss of his career. At UFC 222, O'Malley dominated Andre Soukhamthath for the first couple of rounds, but in round three, he injured his right foot.

With Soukhamthath pouncing on the opportunity to down an injured opponent, Sean O'Malley showed heart and fought through his injury. He was eventually given a decision win at the end of round three. He spoke about the injury after the fight and said:

"They said it wasn’t broken, but they said I’ve got a previous fracture in there from before the fight, so I’m gonna figure out what’s wrong with it. It’s hurt pretty much nonstop, so we’ll see.. I’ve had a lot of foot injuries so I wasn’t surprised."

Sean O'Malley sailed past his next two opponents, scoring knockout victories against each of them. However, at UFC 252 against Marlon Vera, 'Suga' possibly aggravated his previous injury in round one. Only this time, he could not fight it off. He started strong, but as he injured his leg following several kicks to Vera's body, he was stumbling with nearly 3 minutes remaining on the clock.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, Marlon Vera started thrashing O'Malley with a flurry of elbows and punches. Herb Dean stopped the fight, handing the promising UFC bantamweight the first loss of his MMA career.

After the fight, Sean O'Malley explained to Megan Olivi that the injury was a sequel to the incident from 2018. A history of injuries does not bode well with the goals and ambitions of the 26-year-old UFC bantamweight sensation.

#4. Sean O'Malley's eccentric hairstyles

Sean O'Malley [Image Credit: Bloody Elbow]

Sean O'Malley is known for his unique and neon-colored hairstyles. It wasn't how he was before joining the UFC, but it has become a trend as he has started to gain popularity. Ahead of his fight against Jose Alberto at UFC 248, O'Malley sported a curly hairstyle. At UFC 250, he took things further with a rainbow-colored head.

'Suga' revealed his hairstyle on Instagram even before showing up for the UFC 250 pre-fight media conference. Coming in for the fight against Marlon Vera at UFC 252, Sean O'Malley colored his hair to look like the Ecuadorian flag. While his fans believed it to be a mental warfare trick to irk his Ecuadorian opponent Vera, O'Malley refused. He said:

"I’m just showing my Ecuadorian fans some love. I think every fight we’ll do something different and have a nice little theme. It’s something I look forward to, and it’s fun."

Although he lost against Vera, it didn't stop him from trying another hairstyle for his fight against Thomas Almeida.

The person behind Sean O'Malley's hairstyles is none other than his girlfriend Danya Gonzalez, who is a professional hairstylist. She has a list of high-profile clients, and 'Suga' is certainly one of them.

#3. Sean O'Malley smoked marijuana with Snoop Dogg

Sean O'Malley with Snoop Dogg [Image Credit: MMA Fighting]

At the young age of 22, even before joining the UFC, Sean O'Malley had a friendly encounter with Snoop Dogg. Following a knockout win against Alfred Khashakyan in Dana White's Contender Series, 'Sugar' revealed the story to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour podcast. O'Malley said:

“Right when I walked into his trailer, he handed me a joint and I was pumped. It felt like a movie because I walked into his trailer and he’s got his bodyguards, he’s got a couple of other people in there, and there was like three joints going around."

Sean O'Malley revealed that during the whole meet and greet, Snoop Dogg and his entourage were watching his fight highlights on TV. He continued:

"I was puffin’ and passin’, trying to keep up, and they had a TV in there playing highlights of my fight, so were watching that and smoking, it was so much fun. It was only like 20 or 30 minutes, but it was a good time and a memory forever."

As is quite evident from his marijuana-inspired hairstyle, Sean O'Malley is also an advocate for the medical and recreational usage of cannabis. Commenting on the suspensions of UFC fighters Luis Pena and Tim Elliott on testing positive for weed, Sean O'Malley said:

"It’s ridiculous that they get suspended for it. It’s embarrassing that it’s even a rule. We’re in 2020."

#2. Sean O'Malley has a podcast called 'The Timbo Sugarshow'

The Timbo Sugar Show podcast [Image credit: Cyberspace and Time]

Sean O'Malley runs a podcast with his friend and coach Tim Welch on social media. On their podcast, called The Timbo Sugar Show, O'Malley discusses a plethora of trending topics with Welch. From lifestyle, recreational drugs, and humor to gaming, MMA, and even the UFC - the podcast features it all.

The official website describes the podcast as:

"The Timbo Sugar Show is on a mission to positively impact the minds and bodies of today’s youth and young at heart by spreading the word about the importance of health and wellness."

#1. Conor McGregor is a massive inspiration for Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley at the UFC 248 media day [Image credit: Las Vegas Review-Journal]

Sean O'Malley has some similarities with UFC superstar Conor McGregor. The UFC bantamweight likes to dress up, isn't afraid of offending his co-athletes, and has risen to fame riding on his talent. But contrary to what some MMA fans believe, he isn't mimicking 'Notorious'.

Ahead of UFC 264, where Sean O'Malley shared the card with Conor McGregor, he revealed how he had found inspiration in the Irishman's rise to fame. He said:

"I think the first time I watched him (McGregor) fight was against Max Holloway. There’s just something about him like, damn, I want to watch him fight again, I want to continue to watch. I’ve watched every single interview he’s ever done. I’ve watched all of his fights, multiple times. I love the way he carries himself."

However, Sean O'Malley corrected the fight fans who believed he was trying to copy the Irishman. 'Sugar' said:

"A lot of people say that I try to be like Conor. You can have two people that have similar personalities. [People say], ‘Oh you try to dress like Conor, you try to fight like Conor, you try to act like Conor, talk like Conor’ — that’s not true at all. I definitely have taken bits and pieces and learned from him, which is the smart thing to do. Learn from someone who is that successful and doing that well. But yeah he’s definitely inspired me a ton. The way he carries himself. The way he handles pressure. The way he goes into these big fights. I’ve learned a lot from him."

If there's one attribute that Sean O'Malley shares with Conor McGregor, it's becoming a polarizing figure in the UFC in a short amount of time. Over four years that he's been in the UFC, O'Malley has been called out multiple times by many top-ranked bantamweights. He seems to be the new money fight in the division, pulling in pay-per-views no matter who he fights.