Sean O’Malley Record, stats and next fight

Background

Born on October 24, 1994, in Helena, Montana, Sean Daniel O’Malley first built an amateur MMA record of 9 wins and 2 losses, along with 4 wins in kickboxing and 2 in boxing. The nickname Suga came from one of his Montana coaches early in his career. He fought his first five professional bouts in his home state, then competed in North Dakota before joining Legacy Fighting Alliance.

After a standout win over David Nuzzo, he earned a spot on Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2017 and knocked out Alfred Khashakyan in the first round, which landed him a UFC contract. Since 2014 he has trained at The MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona, run by John Crouch, alongside his longtime friend Tim Welch. He holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

UFC Career

O’Malley debuted in the organization on December 1, 2017, against Terrion Ware, whom he beat by decision. Two suspensions for testing positive for ostarine stalled his progress between 2018 and 2019. He returned in 2020 with quick stoppages of José Alberto Quiñónez and Eddie Wineland, before suffering his first loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252. Wins inside the distance over Thomas Almeida, Kris Moutinho and Raulian Paiva followed, then a highly disputed split decision over Petr Yan at UFC 280 in October 2022.

On August 19, 2023, he beat Aljamain Sterling by second-round TKO at UFC 292 to become the bantamweight champion. He retained the belt against Marlon Vera in March 2024, then lost it to Merab Dvalishvili by decision in September 2024. The June 2025 rematch also went the Georgian’s way, by north-south choke. O’Malley then got back on track: a unanimous decision over Song Yadong on January 24, 2026, at UFC 324, then a second-round TKO of Aiemann Zahabi on June 14, 2026.

Fighting Style

At 5’11” (180 cm) with a 6’0″ (183 cm) reach, O’Malley has one of the longest frames in the division. He fights at maximum range, with a light lead foot and his hands low, and looks for the counter while moving backward rather than trading head-on. His volume of significant strikes and his accuracy rank among the best historical numbers in the division. The downside of this profile shows on the mat and in extended wrestling exchanges, the ground on which his two losses to Merab Dvalishvili were decided. Thirteen of his twenty wins came by KO or TKO.