"Sugar" Sean O'Malley advises those who want to get rich fighting in UFC, amid Sean Strickland pay dispute

"Sugar" Sean O'Malley has suggested that people who aim to become wealthy by competing in the sport of MMA and the consensus top MMA organization (UFC) are mistaken. 

O'Malley seemingly believes that competing in the UFC and mixed martial arts as a career in general are unlikely to make an athlete rich, as the pay isn't lucrative enough. His remarks come amid UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland's highly publicized pay dispute with the UFC. 

"Sugar" Sean O'Malley advises fighters who aim to become wealthy via MMA and UFC

In an edition of The SuGuru Show, former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley addressed Sean Strickland's ongoing pay debacle with the UFC.

For context, Strickland reportedly signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC before his middleweight-title-winning performance against Khamzat Chimaev earlier this year. He outpointed Chimaev to become the new middleweight kingpin, and he's lately been expected to defend the belt in a rematch against Nassourdine Imavov. 

Nevertheless, Strickland's been lobbying for better pay, even warning that he could move up to the light heavyweight division, compete in fights there to complete his UFC contractual obligations, and then depart to earn major paydays in the sport of boxing. 

Well, Sean O'Malley has chimed in on the situation and indicated that Strickland signed a deal and ought to agree with the pay it entails. Meanwhile, he also acknowledged that one reaches a point in their career where they feel they're worthy of significantly higher pay. 

Advising fighters that MMA and the UFC aren't the best options to help them become rich, O'Malley stated: 

"It's like, these young fighters coming up, us coming up, and being like -- we know, supposedly, like, you're not gonna make that much money. So don't f**king go. Don't try to be in the UFC. If your goal is to be in the UFC and become the richest person in the world, it's not gonna happen." 

"Sugar" continued, "So just don't even try to become a professional fighter if you're going to end up complaining about money." 

Sean O'Malley praises UFC for changing his life

On one hand, Sean O'Malley implied that he understands why veteran fighters reach a point in their careers where they feel deserving of better pay. On the other hand, the American athlete signaled that the UFC provides fighters with a robust platform to connect with the fans and build their brand outside of fighting, which could help them build wealth. 

Crediting the mixed martial arts organization for helping him improve his life, O'Malley said, "The UFC has completely changed my life... I'm forever grateful for the UFC." 

Presently, Sean O'Malley, who's coming off a knockout win over Aiemann Zahabi in June, is lobbying for a bantamweight title shot. He does boast a split decision victory against reigning UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan from 2022. 

Nevertheless, the consensus is that the UFC is likely to book Yan to defend his belt against an opponent both he and O'Malley had previously outpointed, Song Yadong. 

Watch Sean O'Malley discuss the UFC fighter pay topic and more below (*comments at the 1:04:28-minute mark of the video):