Sean O’Malley is a popular fighter on the UFC roster, and one famous legend is credited with helping him break through.
O’Malley shined on Dana White’s Contender Series and was given a UFC contract. While it was “Suga’s” performance that scored him a deal with the top MMA promotion, O’Malley found himself in the right place at the right time. Iconic rapper Snoop Dogg provided commentary for O’Malley’s appearance on the Contender Series, and he helped boost “Suga’s” stock.
During an interview with TMZ, O’Malley reflected on what Snoop Dogg’s commentary did for him on top of having an impressive performance inside the Octagon (via MMAFighting).
“I mean the knockout was going to go viral regardless,” O’Malley said. “Just this skinny little white dude with a fro, just sleeping this Russian. I mean that would have been viral regardless.
“The Snoop [commentary] just elevated it to an insane level. He posted me on his Instagram twice in a row, like back-to-back and it just absolutely blew up. I think it would have done big numbers without it but absolutely insane numbers with it.”
O’Malley said the viral moment when he knocked out Alfred Khashakyan back in 2017 was the true start to his UFC run.
“It was just reaffirming to myself like what I thought, what I felt was happening was true,” O’Malley said. “That truly felt like the beginning. This is the start of what I had kind of built up in my mind. Like this is the beginning of the vision.”
The “Suga” show ended up stringing together a series of wins before being stopped by Marlon “Chito” Vera. He rebounded from the loss and eventually captured the UFC Bantamweight Championship. O’Malley avenged his loss to Vera in the process before dropping the 135-pound gold to Merab Dvalishvili.
After being defeated by Dvalishvili a second time back in June, O’Malley looks forward to what’s next.