UFC Spotlight: Sean O’ Malley: Sweet Enough to be Called Sugar?

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By Anthony “Zute” George

When it comes to combat sports, individual fighters have what they call the “It” factor. These fighter’s possess certain qualities that move the needle in fan interest beyond the norm. Sometimes, the ‘it’ factor is based solely on their skills, but, often, there are intangibles that are involved that catapult some fighters to superstardom. In mixed martial arts, Kimbo Slice is an example of a fighter who had a tremendous ‘it’ factor that was not congruent with his actual skills/production value. Many will also argue that Conor McGregor’s superstardom is not equivalent to what he has actually done as an MMA fighter. Although he is definitely a highly-skilled fighter.

Spotlighting Sean O’Malley, we look at an MMA fighter who is indeed skilled but is also someone who is close to moving that needle in terms of fan interest very. Sean was born in Montana, but now resides out of Glendale, Arizona, and trains with the very competent MMA Lab out there. He was nicknamed Sugar Sean O’Malley long ago by one of his coaches because he felt he was so sweet to watch.

O’Malley’s professional MMA career began in 2015, and he has yet to suffer an official loss. Sean was submitted twice as an amateur, and many credible MMA experts felt he was lucky to get the decision against Andre Soukhamthath, however. With that said, Sugar Sean is more than his record.

He is slowly building that dynamic of, win or lose, he is going to be the story when he fights. In his last three UFC fights, he participated in the Fight of the Night, the fight with Soukhamthath, and earned a Performance of the Night bonus in his previous two contests. His knockout of Eddie Wineland in UFC 250 was highlight reel stuff. If water cooler talk were still a thing, Sugar Sean O’Malley would be the topic of many of those conversations.

What is most impressive about O’Malley is how smooth he is with his striking. He is indeed a high energy guy, but he is not wasted energy. Sometimes he is so stoic, you wonder where he generates his power from. It is similar to how Yankees great Mariano Rivera pitched. Unlike Mo, Sean also has a magnetic personality, he likes to talk just as much as he likes to fight. But even with his gift of gab, he is articulate, yet deliberate with his speech. Yes, he talks trash, but does does not come off as irritating or arrogant and still commands your attention when he speaks. Not easy to do.

With that said, how well Sugar Sean can fight is what is going to decide just how well his star will rise. He is currently ranked number fourteen in the UFC bantamweight rankings. A division that is stacked to the brim with tough fights. There is no hiding in the UFC. Therefore, the fights for O’Malley are just going to be that much more difficult. He is scheduled to take on Marlon Vera at UFC 252 in August. Vera should pose a tough challenge for O’Malley, but it is a fight he is expected to win. It is a fight he must win if he wants to put himself in a position to take on the top ten of the division.

When looking at young fighters like Sugar Sean, you never want to get too ahead of yourself. At the same time, you want to acknowledge the fact that, ‘sky’s the limit,’ is an appropriate phrase to use when discussing Sean. It is equally applicable to suggest that Sugar Sean O’ Malley’s sky is set a few stories higher than most MMA fighters. He will have to fight his way to get there. However, keep in mind, winning every fight you have is not a necessity to move the needle of the ‘it’ factor in your direction. Conor McGregor has lost MMA fights, but it has not hurt his star power at all, but you have to win most of your fights. As big of a star that Kimbo was, he could not sustain his UFC status because he did not win many matches.

The stars are aligned for Sugar Sean O’Malley to be a massive star in the UFC. Will it happen?

Stay tuned…

Anthony “Zute” George is the Author of Tough Man: The Greg Haugen Story, a new boxing book that covers the skilled champion from Auburn, Washington, as well as the scope of the times during his days of pugilism.

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