The Next Face of the UFC
By Eddie Sanchez
Suga Sean O’Malley is a 25-year-old rising star within the UFC. With a record of 12-0, a marketable look and fiery personality, he has the skills and intangibles to become the next face of the organization.
The opposing fans of his within the MMA community point out that he has yet to face a ranked opponent, but with the competition in front of him, he gets the job done. Eddie Wineland, his opponent from UFC 250, is a prime example.
With just over a week to go until UFC 252, there is much discussion about the O’Malley-Vera matchup which will co-headline the Miocic-Cormier trilogy. This is a meteoric rise for the Montana-native and the UFC surely is betting on his talent to provide an exceptional showing for what should be a large PPV audience.
This rise to stardom is especially extraordinary considering he lost two years of his career due to failed drug tests. Fortunately, USADA ruled they were consistent with unintentional use.
Marlon Vera is a formidable opponent who is 5-1 in his last six fights, although most recently, he is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Song Yadong. This will be a matchup between two Jiu Jitsu specialists. Some within the media have even considered that O’Malley could be on upset watch.
There are some natural concerns when dealing with outlandish stars. Whether its a product of being in the media spotlight, or there being an actual distraction, there are questions people will have when they read non-training related headlines leading up to important bouts.
Sean O’Malley recently conducted an interview with TMZ where he discussed the following:
1. He’s got a big orgy planned for when he wins the UFC title
2. He thinks the fact marijuana is still outlawed in MMA is “ridiculous” and “embarrassing”
3. He REALLY wants to fight Cody Garbrandt once he gets past Marlon Vera at UFC 252 next weekend.
The key takeaway from this interview is that Sean O’Malley stays on brand. His extracurricular activities are a huge part of his persona and his outspoken style compounds this. Where some concern is valid is the fact that he is already looking past Marlon Vera. In fact, he has been outspoken about his desire to fight Cody Garbrandt for some time.
There is no issue with attempting to build a rivalry with a fellow high-profile star, but when there is this much focus leading up to a PPV weekend, there are some concerns.
Shots were fired from both sides and assuming Suga Sean can defeat Marlon Vera, the anticipation for this matchup will only increase. He will surely need these types of matchups to reach his full potential as a star, but nevertheless he is on the right track.
Common for young stars in the social media era, he has cleared the one-million follower threshold on Instagram and Tik Tok.
O’Malley also announced that he has created a clothing line that will be released on .
As part of an early release, Suga Sean created custom “O’Malley†jerseys numbered 0-100 & 420 which sold out online in 39 seconds!
What a debut for his entrepreneurial career! His loyal fanbase is steadily growing and if he continues to win and eventually become a UFC Champion, his face will likely be one of the main ones featured in marketing endeavors.
What are your predictions for UFC 252? Will he defeat Marlon Vera?
