Sean O’Malley’s Nickname ‘Suga’: Meaning & Story Behind UFC Champ’s Moniker

Being one of the most hyped bantamweight fighters, Sean O’Malley left the whole wide world in awe when he secured the bantamweight championship title, back in 2023. As a striker, O’Malley is known to be pretty accurate with his fist seldom missing the target. With a professional MMA record of 18 victories and just one single loss, the bantamweight star is nothing short of a knockout master. Despite his fearsome record, O’Malley has one of the sweetest nicknames in the world of mixed martial arts.

Today, let’s take a look at the Montana native’s moniker and how such a formidable mixed martial artist came to be known as ‘Suga’. So, without any further ado, let’s dive right into it!

Why is Sean O’Malley called ‘Suga’?

Unlike most high-level strikers in the UFC who rely heavily on their counter-striking, and timing, Sean O’Malley is known for his aggressive and flashy kickboxing. He looks to end his fights with finishes and style points. His nickname, surprisingly, has its roots in this fact. He revealed that his nickname ‘Suga’ came from one of his coaches, Johnny Aho, who claimed that O’Malley was ‘Sweet to watch.’ And rightfully so given the millions of views that his knockouts garner on social media.

Talking about his moniker, the bantamweight champion had said, “Johnny Aho he was like my first head coach. He gave me the name ‘Sugar’. At first it was spider. And I was like ‘Hey coach, I don’t know about that’. So he said alright I will come back with something else. I did not even know there was ‘Spider Silva’. I did not even know that but I was just like that is not it.”

The world of combat sports has also witnessed quite a few fighters named ‘Sugar’. But most of them hail from the world of boxing. O’Malley had to come up with a variation of the nickname that he could call his own. And that’s how he stumbled upon ‘Suga’.

Sean O’Malley has become a fan favorite for quite a lot of people to watch. However, other than his unique fighting style, O’Malley also has quite a particular look to him, from the flamboyantly colored hair to his tattoos. O’Malley even has his fight moniker tattooed on his face along with some other ones.

“Suga” tattooed on Sean O’Malley’s face

The UFC bantamweight champion is covered with tattoos. However, his face tattoos are the ones that garner quite a bit of attention. Sean O’Malley has his fight moniker “Suga” tattooed on the top of his eyebrow. This comes along with some other face tattoos such as “Love”, “Breathe”, “Dreamer”, a set of four stars, and a flower. The 24-year-old has added more to his collection of face tattoos after winning UFC gold.

After his spectacular KO win against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292, Sean O’Malley went on to get two more face tattoos. He added a tattoo of a crown on top of his “Suga” tattoo and a “CHAMP MMXXIII” tattoo, paying homage to his title win on 19th August 2023. And he proved himself once again when he successfully defended his bantamweight championship belt against Marlon Vera. But now, he is all set to land against Merab Dvalishvili in his second title defense, headlining the Noche UFC event at The Sphere. Will ‘Suga’ be able to rise victorious against ‘The Machine’ at UFC 306? Or will he lose his bantamweight championship belt and drop down in the UFC rankings? Only time can tell. But one thing is for certain. The entire arena will boom with cheers for ‘Suga’ when he enters The Sphere.

What are your thoughts on Sean O’Malley’s nickname? Would you have given him some other moniker? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.