“I think, unless Sean O’Malley makes some wholesale changes to his wrestling, to his grappling, to his defensive ability off of his back, it’s going to be very, very difficult.” Daniel Cormier had some pretty heavy opinions regarding the rematch between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. The concerns rose after Dvalishvili outwrestled the previously undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. However, his verdict regarding the former bantamweight champ’s stance has begun to change. Yes, even though the changes that O’Malley brought into his life didn’t correlate directly with those suggested by Cormier.
Following the events at UFC 306, Sean O’Malley decided to quit smoking and social media. And this has helped him prepare for a 25-minute war against ‘The Machine’. During a recent conversation with Cormier on DC’s YouTube channel, he expressed his confidence against Dvalishvili. O’Malley claimed that he can indeed put the bantamweight champion to sleep. But there was one question that bothered the UFC commentator.
Sean O’Malley talks transient lifestyle changes ahead of UFC 316 with Daniel Cormier
The former heavyweight champion asked if ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley had quit smoking and every other vice permanently. The answer was ‘no’; some of them were just reserved for a victory celebration. O’Malley replied, “Social media, is like, I have no desire to get back on there and scroll. And I don’t even have any desire to do that. You know, taking a little puff after the win, a little victory puff. That sounds fantastic. It sounds nice. That’s not done forever.”
Cormier couldn’t hold back his gags at that. But the UFC color commentator knew that the changes O’Malley brought in were pretty significant.
DC shared the visuals of his conversation with O’Malley on his Instagram profile. And in the caption, he wrote, “The first check-in of the week is with former Champion Sugar Sean O’Malley.” Cormier’s verdict? “He’s a different man today after eliminating social media and smoking, but is that going to make a difference? Sean says he’s more focused on beating Merab than becoming the champion.”
It’s true that O’Malley had the entire world worried by disappearing from social media. For quite some time, the fighting community kept wondering about the motivation behind such a decision. And in case you’re still wondering the same, let’s hear it from the man himself.
O’Malley opens up on why he quit social media and smoking
Do you know that Sean O’Malley’s 4-year-old daughter, Elena, got her first stripe in Jiu-Jitsu? Well, the Arizona resident was quite proud of his daughter’s achievement. And while he talked about it on UFC 316 Countdown, he revealed how the decision to quit social media played a pivotal role in it. Initially, he quit social media to stay away from the distractions in general. He admitted that he was getting attached to the character of ‘Suga’ that he almost pulled himself out of who he was.
O’Malley said, “I’m a dad, I’m a husband. To be honest, it’s been life-changing for sure. Everyone has a higher self, and the higher self guides them through life, what you’re supposed to do and not supposed to do. I want to dedicate everything I have to the sport, because I truly believe I could be one of the greatest of all time. To do that, my higher self guided me to do more family time, less pointless s—.”
So, the changes didn’t really come from the desire to beat Dvalishvili. Instead, he confessed that it was all because of the desire for peace. With the online chatter messing around all day long, this seemed the only way to bring some calm into the former champion’s life. He pointed out that people usually have low anxiety. But when they open up their phones, the anxiety levels go on the rise. So, eliminating the main culprit was a no-nonsense decision. After all, it did keep him focused on his goal for the weekend – defeating Merab Dvalishvili. But Cormier asked, “Is that going to make a difference?”
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