Sean O’Malley’s slouchy takedown defense resulted in devastation as he lost his Bantamweight gold to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. And this wasn’t the end of his sorrows. ‘Suga’ had to undergo hip surgery on October 3, 2024, as he tore his left labrum which was a nagging issue for quite some time. However, there seems to be a positive development since the fighter with a ‘quirky hairdo’ just updated on his recovery.

During his latest YouTube vlog, while he was watching UFC 307, he updated on his health and spoke about post-surgery plans. He said, “Got surgery Thursday, today is Saturday it’s been fu** two days I feel fu** great. I feel great, I am gonna come back better than ever, I’ll be back next week just sparring. I am gonna do everything right I’m going to recover as fast as I possibly can and I am gonna get back.” ‘Suga’ even mentioned how he was planning to return by June 2025 at the latest and mentioned that he was “going with the flow day by day.” 

Even while recovering from a major surgery, the Arizonian native did not let his entrepreneurial spirit wane. His latest venture is the Suga Show Fighting Championships (SSFC), an exclusive combat event designed for social media influencers.

O’Malley’s vision is to provide digital juggernauts with an authentic combat experience, giving them a taste of the raw intensity that MMA fighters experience in the Octagon. By pairing various stars with little to no combat experience, SSFC aims to promote exciting matchups that will captivate audiences and showcase the unique talents of these personalities.

He outlined this idea on X and said, “Sugar Show Fighting Championships! We’re starting it. We’re doing it this year. I’m looking for influencers with little to no experience. The goal is to have these influencers, give them a date, have them think about that date, have a full fight experience the whole day, and the emotions you feel leading up to a fight. I don’t want anyone to get hurt wouldn’t want anyone to get knocked out. I want them to just experience a fight.”

This idea even got leverage after Adin Ross accepted a challenge against Sketch making this matchup a potential possibility in the future. However coming back to O’Malley’s combat career, let us focus on the reasons he had allegedly floated for losing his last bout.

Did Sean O’Malley lose his last fight due to The Sphere?

Dana White and co. undoubtedly delivered a famous outing with UFC 306, but the $20 million project came with its share of scrutiny. The venue’s unique design, featuring LED screens wrapped around the 160,000-square-foot arena, raised concerns about potential distractions for the fighters.

This sentiment was echoed by Sean O’Malley’s longtime coach, Tim Welch, and renowned referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy during the Weighing In podcast. McCarthy spoke about this speculation regarding The Sphere, saying, “He had that look on his face, and he started looking around. That’s not the norm we see from Sean when he is coming out for a fight.”

To this, Suga’s coach agreed and said, “Yeah, yeah, and I’m not 100% sure. He says it didn’t affect him, but maybe subconsciously it could have affected him a little bit. But it’s hard to say, and it’s hard to just make up an excuse, you know? I just…”

Despite this speculation, it is hard to accept this reasoning as many other combatants went out and delivered a stellar show. The event saw both victories and losses from veteran fighters who did not bring up this cause. The loss might have been the culmination of various factors, but it is clear that O’Malley is eager to grace the octagon again at the earliest. What are your thoughts on this recovery road?