Is Sean O'Malley a UFC sponsor? Explaining 'Sweet Sweat Suga' logo on the octagon canvas

The 'Sweet Sweat Suga' logo on the UFC 292 octagon canvas in August 2023 was technically an advertisement for Sean O'Malley. The fact that O'Malley's name is printed on the very card he headlined opposite Aljamain Sterling speaks volumes of the growing stardom of 'Sugar'.

In 2023, O'Malley signed with the fitness brand Sweet Sweat which is best known for its flagship product of the same name, a workout-enhancing gel that helps athletes sweat better. Announcing the partnership on X, Sweet Sweat wrote:

"Welcome to the Suga Show! This year we've signed @sugaseanmma , as an Official Sweet Sweat Athlete. No doubt on his way to a UFC title soon with 11 KO’s and infamous “Unranked Champ” mindset 👊💥"

The brand, which has a deal with the UFC, chose to advertise its new product on the octagon canvas at the TD Garden in Boston. And the new product happened to be Sean O'Malley. Explaining the 'Sweet Sweat Suga' logo @YetiSanMMA wrote:

"Kinda. He has a deal with Sweet Sweat who obviously has a deal with the UFC. Sweet Sweat is advertising a new product/collab which happens to be Suga. Obviously it’s helping everybody but don’t get it twisted, the UFC is getting paid for that."

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Sean O'Malley has also partnered with another UFC sponsor

Sean O'Malley also signed a deal with watch company Timex, which became the first official Timekeeper and Watch Partner of the UFC last year.

'Sugar', who proclaimed himself a champ before the Aljamain Sterling fight, firmly believed it was only fitting that he partner with the official UFC sponsors. Ahead of UFC 292, the 28-year-old said in an interview with Bloody Elbow:

"Uh, they’re a partner with UFC. They’re a main sponsor of the UFC, so. I'm the champ. I'm the superstar of the UFC, so it just kind of makes sense to partner with that."

He added:

"I know one of my favorite Timex ones is one of the like the T80s, the old-school ones that are very simple. I really like those ones, but hopefully, we're going to drop the Sugar collab Timex piece."

Catch O'Malley's comments below:

The show of confidence was not without substance. O'Malley defeated Sterling by second-round knockout to become the UFC bantamweight champion. He is now set to take on Marlon 'Chito' Vera in the UFC 299 headliner on March 9 to attempt the first defense of his title reign.