Sean O’Malley is a proud dad after watching his daughter earn her first stripes in Jiu-Jitsu. The former UFC champion is currently in camp, training for his fight against Merab Dvalishvili. For this fight, he has stopped drinking, partying, and going out, prioritizing his rest and recovery over everything.
This transformation also helped him spend more time with his wife and his daughter on their farm. In the UFC 316 Countdown video on YouTube, ‘Suga’ was talking about the facility that he built alongside Tim Welch. The duo has started teaching Jiu Jitsu to young kids in the facility.
Part of one of their first batches is Elena O’Malley, the former champ’s 4-year-old daughter. And after training in Jiu Jitsu for a few months, she earned her first stripe. Welch was giving out the stripes to the kids, and when he took Elena’s name, O’Malley couldn’t stop grinning.
“Elena, my little princess, she’s 4, she’s been doing Jiu-Jitsu. She got her first stripe, that was a really cool moment,” said O’Malley. After Welch put the stripe on her belt, she immediately ran over to her father, who embraced her.
All this is thanks to his new regimented lifestyle. The former UFC champion believes he was getting carried away trying to be ‘Suga’, and now he’s reverted back to being Sean, a husband and a father.
Sean O’Malley feels closer to his wife and daughter now more than ever
‘Suga’s’ decision to give up all his vices has surely helped him in his training. Moreover, it has also given him a lot of mental clarity. He has realized what he needs to prioritize in life. Cutting away all these distractions has also given him the opportunity to spend more time with his family.
In the same video, O’Malley revealed, “I just wanted less distractions in my life, just in general. I was too attached to ‘Suga’, too attached to this character. And it was like pulling me out of who I am on a day-to-day basis. “
Sean O’Malley says he ditched bad habits to spend more time with family:
“Everyone has a higher self and higher self guides them through life… My higher self guide me to more family time, less pointless sh*t.”
@ufc ▫️ pic.twitter.com/D4gTev5gDC
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 1, 2025
Before the fame and the attention that comes with it, he realized that at the end of the day, he’s a father first and a husband. “To be honest, it’s been life-changing for sure. Everyone has a higher self, and the higher self guides them through life… I want to dedicate everything I have to this sport, because I truly believe I could be one of the greatest of all time.”
And his decision to pursue greatness also led him to cut out all the pointless things. “My higher self guide me to more family time, less pointless sh*t,” concluded O’Malley.
The former champ truly is a changed man, but what will be interesting to see is how it will affect his performance come Saturday night.
‘Suga‘ got his hip operated on, has reportedly had an amazing training camp, and his entire focus is on winning his belt back. Could he be the one to stop the wrecking ball that is Merab Dvalishvili? UFC 316 will only tell us.
