Who gave Sean O'Malley his 'Sugar' nickname? Taking a closer look at the UFC bantamweight champion's moniker
Sean O'Malley is gearing up for his first title defense this weekend against Marlon 'Chito' Vera at UFC 299. Leading up to this highly anticipated rematch, O'Malley recently shed light on the origin of his popular nickname, 'Sugar'.
In a YouTube video, O'Malley revealed that the moniker wasn't a self-proclaimed title but rather bestowed upon him by one of his early coaches in Montana, Johnny Aho.
O'Malley humorously recalled:
"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... And I didn't even know there was Spider, so Anderson 'The Spider'. I didn't even know that."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below:
This weekend at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, 'Sugar' will aim to retain his title against Vera, the only fighter to have defeated him so far in his professional career.
Sean O'Malley wants a repeat of Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC beef
UFC bantamweight Sean O'Malley is setting his sights on a potential future fight with Umar Nurmagomedov, not just for the competitive aspect but also to reignite the historic rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
'Sugar' acknowledges Umar's potential for stardom due to his association with his cousin Khabib, a UFC legend. He told ESPN's Brett Okamoto:
"He has the last name Nurmagomedov. He is Russian. He has potential because of that... and he comes from that gym and Khabib be in his corner, O'Malley Irish, it's there, there is something there. If he can become a star with that, that is a fight I want too."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (18:15):
O'Malley, with his Irish surname, sees a chance to capitalize on the existing narrative surrounding the intense McGregor-Khabib feud. He believes that if Nurmagomedov achieves stardom, a fight between them would garner significant interest due to the historical connection, even though they are not directly involved in the original rivalry.