While Sean O’Malley is far from a perfect mainstream representation of the UFC roster, the 28-year-old still chose moral fiber over a big-money invite that several of his star contemporaries accepted.
In recent years, several mixed martial arts stars have had some questionable relationships with some of the world’s more unsavory political figures. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had many notable supporters in the cage-fighting community. And former US President Donald Trump also received backing from famous cage fighters for his unique approach to politics.
However, one of the more controversial connections between the sport and world affairs is with Chechenya’s current head of state Ramzan Kadryov. The Russian has been accused of kidnapping, assassination, torture, and ethnic cleansing during his rise to prominence in the region. Yet, that has not stopped many MMA fighters — including rising UFC star Khamzat Chimaev — from being openly chummy with him.
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Last month, former UFC champions Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, and one-time interim titlist Justin Gaethje accepted an invitation from Kadryov to be a guest at his son’s recent birthday party. An invitation that likely included a large sum of money. However, UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley was invited to the same bash and responded with a hard pass.
Sean O’Malley on Ramzan Kadryov: ‘The guy is a murderer, basically’
During a recent edition of his “Bromalley” podcast, O’Malley revealed that he was invited to the same party s Usman and Cejudo, but his advisor Imran Jawaid suggested he pass on the trip to Chechnya and whatever benefits came with it. And after some further research, “Sugar” quickly realized it was the right decision.
“[Usman, Cejudo, and Gaethje] went over to Chechnya. And the guy is a murderer, basically. The top dog. Like, best friends with [Vladimir] Putin. He’s not a good person, and that’s who they went to his kid’s birthday party. And, that’s where I got invited to go. And, yeah, I’ve heard that they’re getting some backlash for going.”
– Sean O’Malley on Kadryov invite (via BloodyElbow)
Of note, is the fact that the three athletes who did make the trip to the region of Russia are all represented by Ali Abdelaziz and Dominance MMA. A management company that has easily signed many top fighters from the area. Ramzan Kadryov also runs a prominent MMA gym in Chenaya as well.