Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley is an American professional mixed martial artist who held the bantamweight title of the promotion from 2023 to 2024. He made his professional MMA debut in 2015 against Josh Reyes and won the fight by a first-round TKO to kick off his career. Riding high on a record of eight wins and no losses, O'Malley made his promotional debut in the UFC in 2017 against Terrion Ware.

He won the fight by a unanimous decision and eventually faced Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 for the bantamweight title. He won the fight by second-round TKO to dislodge Sterling and become the new champion of the division. O'Malley dropped his title to Merab Dvalishvili by losing to him via a unanimous decision at UFC 306.

Sean O'Malley Early Life and Career

Sean O'Malley started his combat sports journey in boxing. He trained in boxing for 2 years and fought a boxing match on July 16, 2016, against David Courtney that he won via TKO in the first round. O'Malley started training in MMA alongside his boxing and made his amateur MMA debut at Fight Force: Helena Havoc 11 against Stein Anderson. He won the fight via second-round TKO and then amassed a record of seven wins and one loss before becoming a professional.

O'Malley made his professional MMA debut in 2015 at ICF 17 against John Reyes, where he outclassed Reyes as he TKO'ed him in the first round via punches. He continued his momentum and won his next four fights in the ICF. Following this, he fought and won a fight at Extreme Beatdown and Legacy Fighting Championship before fighting at Dana White's Contender Series and getting signed by the coveted professional MMA promotion.

Sean O'Malley UFC Career

Sean O'Malley made his UFC debut at the TUF 26 Finale against Terrion Ware on December 1, 2017. O'Malley won the fight and then compiled a 3-fight win streak before fighting Marlon Vera at UFC 252.

O'Malley lost the fight against Marlon Vera in the first round via TKO (elbows and punches). After the fight, O'Malley was diagnosed with a drop foot. He returned to the octagon at UFC 260 against Thomas Almeida on March 27, 2021. O'Malley outclassed Almeida and finished him in the third round to win the fight. He next fought Kris Moutinho at UFC 264 on July 10, 2021, and put on a striking master class to defeat Mouthinho in the third round via TKO.

At UFC 269, on December 11, 2021, he secured a first-round TKO victory against Raulian Paiva, earning his fourth Performance of the Night bonus. However, his next fight at UFC 276 against Pedro Munhoz on July 2, 2022, ended in a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke by O'Malley. The controversy continued at UFC 280, where O'Malley faced Petr Yan on October 22, 2022, winning via split decision in a highly disputed bout, earning Fight of the Night honors.

O'Malley wrested the UFC bantamweight championship from Aljamain Sterling by defeating him at UFC 292 on August 19, 2023, with a second-round technical knockout, earning a Performance of the Night bonus besides the title.

Sean O'Malley defended his title in a rematch against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 on March 9, 2024, via a unanimous decision. He was challenged by Merab Dvalishvili at 306 for the title. O'Malley was outclassed in the fight by Dvalishvili, who defeated him by a unanimous decision to win the title from him. The former UFC bantamweight champion is scheduled to return to the octagon at UFC 316 and face Dvalishvili in a bantamweight title showdown.

Sean O'Malley Personal Life

Sean O'Malley is married to Danya Gonzalez, and the pair is in an open relationship. They welcomed their daughter Elena in 2020. Gonzalez works as a talented hairstylist. Beyond his fighting career, O'Malley extends his reach through media platforms, co-hosting "The Timbo Sugarshow" podcast alongside his close friend and head coach, Tim Welch.

O'Malley also maintains a vibrant presence on YouTube, sharing insights and collaborating with YouTubers like 'ThatWasEpic.' While O'Malley once adhered to a vegan diet, he has since transitioned back to consuming meat. Outside combat sports, he advocates for the legalization of marijuana and promotes social change through his platform.

Sean O'Malley Wife

Danya Gonzalez is Sean O'Malley's wife. She works as a hairstylist. The couple is married and is known to live in an open relationship with arrangements for boundaries in what they can and cannot do.

Also Read: Sean O'Malley Wife

Sean O'Malley Kids

Sean O'Malley and Danya Gonzalez are proud parents of a daughter named Elena, who was born in 2020.

Sean O'Malley Social Media

Sean O'Malley has social media accounts on Instagram and X, where he maintains a vibrant presence. O'Malley's Instagram page is filled with posts of his training montages, fight promotions, physique updates, sponsorship endorsements, and funny skits. He boasts a massive follower count of over 4.4 million on Instagram and over 857.4K on X.

Sean O'Malley's Endorsements

Sean O'Malley stands out as one of the most heavily sponsored athletes within the UFC. Some prominent companies that endorse him are YoungLA (clothing brand), Prize Picks (betting company), and Ryse Fuel (energy drink brand).

Sean O'Malley's Record

Sean O'Malley holds a professional MMA record of 18 wins, two losses, and one no-contest as of April 18, 2025. His victories include 12 knockouts, 1 submission, and 5 decisions. On the other hand, O'Malley has lost one fight by knockout and one by decision as of this date.

*Last updated on April 18, 2025