“Elena, my little princess, she’s 4, she’s been doing Jiu-Jitsu. She got her first stripe, that was a really cool moment.” Sean O’Malley couldn’t be prouder of his 4-year-old daughter, as he shared the big news on UFC 316 Countdown. But it was all possible because of one change that he brought into his life after losing the bantamweight belt to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. Those who remember the bout know that ‘The Machine’ utterly humiliated ‘Suga’ at the Sphere. And after the loss, O’Malley literally disappeared from social media for some time. And it was all for the best.
Staying away from social media pushed the former bantamweight champion to spend more time with his family. He was able to focus more on being a father and a husband. This even helped him in putting Elena O’Malley on one of the first batches in a facility that he built with his coach, Tim Welch, where he taught Jiu-Jitsu to children. And having his daughter get her first stripe was nothing short of a proud moment for ‘Suga.’
After disclosing the details of his daughter’s achievement, O’Malley weighed in on the ripples that his decision had on his personal life. He said, “I quit social media, I quit s——. Just wanted less distractions in my life, in just general. I was too attached to ‘Suga.’ Too attached to this character. And it was like pulling me out of who I am on a day-to-day basis. 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—.”
Many fight fans would believe that it was all because of the Georgian champion. But while that’s somewhat true, the motivation didn’t really come from the unfortunate defeat at UFC 306. Let’s see what ‘Suga’ had to say about that, shall we?
Sean O’Malley doesn’t want to give credit to Merab Dvalishvili
It was true that O’Malley went offline for quite a bit of time. But that doesn’t mean he quit social media altogether. He’s still making content and still has a team to help him with social media postings. However, he doesn’t stay active on his phone as much as he used to. And with the aim of becoming better at being away from all the chatter, he claimed that he didn’t have any desire to get back on his previous schedule. But the question remains—Is it because of Dvalishvili?
Well, not really. O’Malley confessed, “I didn’t do this so I can beat Merab. I didn’t get off social media and stop doing this, stop doing that, so I can beat Merab. I did for my own peace of mind. I never really had anxiety. Everyone has a low level of anxiety. But getting off social media, not opening up my phone all the time, that pretty much eliminated it. I feel like it was definitely worth doing.”
Staying less active on social media definitely provided ‘Suga’ with a lot more time to spend with his family. But now, things are starting to get better in the professional aspect as well. How? With almost no smoke in his lungs, he can certainly go on for 25 minutes. Better stamina against Dvalishvili can mean a better chance at winning, don’t you think? And with support from his wife and daughter, along with the soulful moments with his family, he can indeed wish for a flawless victory.
Do you think the former bantamweight champion can defeat ‘The Machine’ at UFC 316 and reclaim his throne? Will the changes he brought into his life following the UFC 306 defeat help him in the rematch? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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