Less colorful, more meaningful: Sean O'Malley thinks lifestyle changes key to reclaim UFC gold

USA Today

2 days ago

Less colorful, more meaningful: Sean O'Malley thinks lifestyle changes key to reclaim UFC gold
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UFC 316: Sean O'Malley media day interview
UFC 316 headliner Sean O'Malley spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his bantamweight title rematch vs. Merab Dvalishvili on Saturday in Newark, N.J.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. – It's a Sean O'Malley fight week and for the first time since 2020, there's no dye in the cornrows.
O'Malley is in late-stage preparations for battle, but the dye isn't the only thing noticeably absent. His style was still there Wednesday as he sported an unbuttoned bright green shirt and his signature fight tattoos. But one accessory was missing: the UFC bantamweight title.
Coming off his first UFC title loss and surgery to repair a torn labrum, O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) enters UFC 316 and quite possibly the most pivotal fight of his career. The moment the haters were waiting for, a fall from the top of the mountain, came in September when he lost the championship to Merab Dvalishvili.
Despite the circumstances, O'Malley seems more at peace now than ever.
"I just feel more slowed down," O'Malley told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Wednesday. "Life is slower in a good way."
The most pivotal adjustments, however, may have come outside the cage. O'Malley's cleansed his lifestyle.
"I catch myself driving, kind of surfing Instagram," O'Malley said. "I catch myself doing stuff like that, playing with my daughter, surfing X. Like, 'What am I doing here?' I feel like limiting those distractions, I'm more present with the family, with training, with friends – just in general."
Around his 30th birthday, O'Malley made this hard lifestyle pivot. He says the choices came independent of fighting but have paid dividends in enhancing himself as an athlete.
"I've always felt like I'm a happy person, but I was like, 'My life is so perfect. Everything is so perfect. I should even be more happy. What can I take away to add to my happiness, to my peace?'" O'Malley said. "It was just to take away distractions. That was just for me, not necessarily for me as an athlete and wanting to be a better fighter. All of that will make me a better fighter, but it wasn't necessarily for that."
Gaming, smoking, and even masturbating (which O'Malley previously referenced but was comically gun shy to mention again when pressed by a reporter Wednesday) – they've all been avoided this camp. O'Malley also showed up to fight week with a new baby boy, which he had not yet announced on social media prior to his arrival.
"It's been good," O'Malley said. "Nothing to complain about. I had a healthy baby boy a couple weeks ago. All this stuff is fun, and I get to do this, and it's all good. That Sunday rolls around, it's back to being Dad. It's back to the family. That's all. This provides to be able to live the life that we get to live, and I'm super grateful for it. It puts in perspective what life is all about."
If "Dana White privilege" is real, O'Malley is likely one of the beneficiaries, even he admits it. But as he also pointed out, the popularity was earned through knockouts, flair, and highlights.
Through merit or privilege, O'Malley has a rematch vs. Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) Saturday at UFC 316 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Prudential Center in Newark. Perhaps the new, matured O'Malley will hold gold – just like the younger, less family-centric one did.
"I feel like I got a good version of Merab," O'Malley said. "He had the best performance of his life against Umar (Nurmagomedov). I don't think he got the best version of me, so I think I can surprise him."