If Conor McGregor is the gold standard for success in and out of the octagon, then Sean O’Malley wants to be the pink, red, or blue standard, depending on his hair color that day. “He’s definitely someone who’s inspired me to want more and to be able to say, ‘This is possible,’” O’Malley said a few years ago. “That’s what I’m after. He’s made the most money, hands down, in the UFC and he’s the most popular guy, hands down, in the UFC, so getting to that point and surpassing him is definitely the goal, respectfully.” And it looks like O’Malley is already laying the foundation for his fortune.
Last summer, Sean O’Malley joined forces with 28-year-old Jake Paul, who made Forbes’ list of high-paid athletes in 2022. The Ohio native has already launched ventures ranging from his MVP promotion to a betting platform, but it’s their latest project—a men’s personal care brand called “W”—that’s grabbing attention. Their partnership came to light as ‘Suga’ was preparing to face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306’s “One and Done” event in 2024. Though he lost that bout and the rematch at UFC 316, O’Malley admits he’s already moved beyond Dana White’s UFC paycheck. How, you ask?
The latest update came just two days ago when Sean O’Malley appeared on an exclusive episode of the Overdogs Podcast with Mike Perry. During the conversation, one of the hosts, Ice Bagz, expressed interest in hearing more about the 30-year-old’s entrepreneurial side, noting that he, too, is an entrepreneur. He brought up O’Malley’s partnership with Jake Paul on the W brand and asked, “You are definitely starting your own business now, like what do you take from the fight world and apply to that, and then, where do you feel like a fish out of water at times?”
Credits: IMAGO
Sean O’Malley responded, “Yeah, I’m lucky that I get it too. So Imran [Jawaid] is like my business manager. He helps me, he’s on every single call with me when I get on a call with a sponsor, a potential sponsor, or doing any kind of business deal, like, I am always on the call.” He went on to say, “I’ve definitely learned a lot about just business in general, equity. So right now, I got equity in Happy Dad, W, Liquid Death, Athletic Nicotine, Sanabul.” Hearing the list, Ice Bagz was visibly impressed and remarked, “Homie’s got like equity in like six unicorns.” To which O’Malley nodded and replied, “Yeah, it’s a long-term game plan.”
O’Malley then shared what he finds most rewarding about his growing business portfolio. “Getting paid monthly is great, but you know I want equity. I want to get paid out. You know, 10X in five years, 10 years, like playing the long game.” He also revealed some success in real estate: “I just sold my second house that I bought back in 2020 for like $750,000. Sold it for $1.2 million, so you know, definitely real estate. I got like four or five houses.” But that’s not all.
Curious about his financial reach, Ice Bagz then asked, “You in crypto and all?” To that, Suga replied, “I do got quite a bit of Ethereum, and I have more Ethereum than I have Bitcoin, but I definitely have both.” While it seems like his focus on business continues to grow, Sean O’Malley hasn’t quite lost sight of his fighting ambitions either. Despite his recent back-to-back setbacks, he remains determined to get revenge on the bantamweight champion and has already begun strategizing his return.
“Undeniable” Sean O’Malley plots Merab Dvalishvili’s revenge
In a recent conversation on The Ariel Helwani Show, a clip of which was shared on Instagram by Verdict MMA, Sean O’Malley revealed he has a blueprint to climb back to the top. The first step? “For me to earn another shot at Merab, I’ve got to be undeniable,” O’Malley said. “I have to go on a streak. I have to win a lot of fights in a row. And there’s a world that happens. I know I’m capable of beating Merab. I also know he’s capable of beating me.”
Before suffering back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley was on a hot streak, with notable wins over Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling, and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Reflecting on that, he added, “But there’s going to be part of me that always wants to get that one back. He’s the only guy to ever beat me. ‘Chito’ beat me, but I got that one back. I proved that one played out the way it was supposed to the first time.”
Let’s not forget, UFC 316 wasn’t a complete shutout. O’Malley had his moments, landing clean shots and stuffing several takedowns, but The Machine never let up. By Round 3, the 34-year-old was still pushing forward, dragging O’Malley down, and ultimately sealing the win. That said, do you think Sean O’Malley will be able to secure a trilogy with Merab Dvalishvili? And if he does, do you think he can get his revenge?
The post Sean O’Malley Admits He’s Moved Beyond UFC Paycheck With Real Estate Gains and Six Unicorn Stakes appeared first on EssentiallySports.
