Born on October 24, 1994, Sean O'Malley is a professional mixed martial artist from the United States. He currently competes in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the reigning UFC Bantamweight Champion as of February 20, 2024. In the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings, he is placed eighth.

Sean O'Malley

Career Beginnings

O'Malley trained at the MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona, under the guidance of head coach John Crouch, and was mentored by his long-time friend, Tim Welch.

O'Malley was given the nickname "Sugar" by his MMA coach in Montana at the beginning of his career.

Before moving to North Dakota to fight, O'Malley had his first five fights in his home state of Montana and eventually fought for the Legacy Fighting Alliance, where he earned a highlight-reel knockout against David Nuzzo.

After his win against Nuzzo, O'Malley earned a spot in Dana White's Contender Series 2 by defeating Alfred Khashakyan. O'Malley defeated Khashakyan in the first round with a spectacular knockout, earning him a UFC contract.

Best Fight Competitions

O'Malley made his promotional debut on December 1, 2017, at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale against Terrion Ware, winning the fight unanimously.

O'Malley's next bout was on March 3, 2018, at UFC 222 against Andre Soukhamthath. Despite injuring his foot in the third round, he won the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants received Fight of the Night bonuses for this bout.

O'Malley was scheduled to fight José Alberto Quiñónez at UFC 229 on October 6, 2018. However, he announced his withdrawal from the fight on September 30 due to a potential violation of the anti-doping policy. On October 25, O'Malley underwent hip surgery while awaiting a decision on his potential violation. He was subsequently suspended for six months by USADA after testing positive for Ostarine. He was eligible to return by March 2019.

On June 6, 2020, at UFC 250, O'Malley faced former WEC Bantamweight Champion Eddie Wineland. He won the fight via first-round knockout with a walk-off punch, earning him Performance of the Night honors.

On August 15, 2020, at UFC 252's co-main event, O'Malley faced Marlon Vera. He suffered his first career loss via TKO in the first round, due to a leg kick by Vera.

O'Malley faced Thomas Almeida at UFC 260 on March 27, 2021. During the first round, O'Malley dropped Almeida with a punch, leading to a belief that Almeida was unconscious. However, he went on to win the fight via knockout in the third round. This victory earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.

against July 10, 2021, O'Malley was supposed to take against Louis Smolka at UFC 264. However, Smolka withdrew from the fight citing injury at the end of June, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Kris Moutinho. After landing significant strikes throughout all three rounds, O'Malley won the bout via TKO in the third round. He was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus for this battle.

O'Malley faced Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 on December 11, 2021. He won the fight via TKO in the first round, earning him his fourth Performance of the Night bonus.

O'Malley faced Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 on July 2, 2022. Munhoz was unable to continue when O'Malley unintentionally poked him in the eye early in the second round. The fight was declared a no-contest.

On October 22, 2022, O'Malley squared up against former UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan at UFC 280. He won the bout via split decision. The result was highly controversial, with many fans and analysts believing Yan to be the true winner. Yan won the fight, according to 25 out of 26 media outlets. Fight of the Night went to that match.

UFC 299 Fight Card, Odds

• Sean O'Malley (C) -280 vs. Marlon Vera +230, Bantamweight Title
• Beneil Dariush -230 vs. Dustin Poirier +190, Lightweight
• Kevin Holland -130 vs. Michael Page +110, Welterweight
• Jack Dela Madalena -160 vs. Gilbert Burns +135, Welterweight
• Petr Yan -115 vs. Song Yadong -105, Bantamweight
• Curtis Blaydes -125 vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik +105, Heavyweight
• Macy Barber -210 vs. Caitlin Sermiñana +175, Women's Flyweight
• Mateusz Gamrot -430 vs. Rafael dos Anjos +330, Lightweight
• Kyler Phillips -260 vs. Pedro Munhoz +210, Bantamweight
• Michel Pereira -155 vs. Michael Oleksiejczuk +130, Middleweight
• Robelis Despaigne -360 vs. Josh Parisian +280, Heavyweight
• Asu Almabayev -500 vs. CJ Vergara +375, Flyweight
• Marina Moroz -230 vs. Joanne Wood +190, Women's Flyweight