UFC bantamweight contender Sean OāMalley enjoys being in control of his career ahead of the biggest fight of his life at UFC 280.
OāMalley will face former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 on Oct. 22. A win could give him a potential bantamweight title shot amidst a fast rise through the division.
OāMalley has been critical of the UFCās pay structure and went as far as to point out that he doesnāt want to fight five rounds without a significant pay raise. Heāll fight three rounds with Yan for his next matchup.
While a large majority of combat sports athletes have managers who direct their path in the sport, OāMalley has opted to go at it alone and be in full control of all of his assets.
Sean OāMalley Explains Reasoning Behind Not Having A Manager
Credit: MMA Junkie
During a recent interview on The MMA Hour, OāMalley revealed heās his own boss when it comes to managing his career.
āSolo dolo,ā OāMalley said. āNo middle man, no one taking a random percentage for being a middle man. I do my own deals and shit gets done right.ā
When further pressed on his decision to ride solo, OāMalley explained why he feels itās in his best interest as a fighter.
āLetās say UFC gets the sponsorship deal, and whoever handles that at the UFC wants Sean OāMalley. Then they go to [my] management and take 15% just to tell me about the dealā¦ you want 15% of my money just because you did what? Thatās not happeningā¦ it just makes sense [to not have a manager],ā OāMalley explained.
āI personally enjoy doing all the business side of things. Thereās some fighters who are probably like āfuck that, I donāt wanna look at that stuff, you take care of it and Iāll give you a percentageā. I like to be a part of my deals. I like to be directly in communication with all my brand deals, the UFC specifically, just everyone.
āI donāt want any missed communication, all of that seems to happen when thereās an extra voice in the middle, and itās just not necessary at least for me,ā OāMalley continued. āItās nice getting that check and not having to [spread it out]ā¦ I donāt wanna write a check to a management team for really not doing much.ā
OāMalley recently revealed that he views the UFC in a different light from a business perspective, pointing to the importance for him to work in collaboration with UFC President Dana White and the rest of the brass.
Fighter pay has become a hot-button issue in recent years. White and the rest of the UFC have been criticized for how they do business and how they treat their fighters financially during and after their careers.
OāMalley has decided to take it upon himself to manage his fight bookings, sponsorships, etc., and seems to be successful in doing so. This could potentially become a trend amongst UFC fighters like OāMalley who have been frustrated with fighter earnings.
I kind of hope he gets beat up. I donāt know why. Iām just a jerk.
Heās smart, fuck giving away your money in that business when you made your name as well as he did. If youāre a boring fighter who canāt talk? Yeah, maybe get a manager lol.
Hate the way he looks, but i enjoy his fights and his perspective.
Pretty much thisā¦heās got a pretty decent approach to his career. Heās definitely using that UFC platform to his advantage. Thereās a chance he could still be leaving cash on the table with certain deals, but makes it back by not paying that 15-20 percent to a manager.
Also, he learns moreā¦which translates to increased future earnings. There is value in seeing how the sausage is made.
Managers and agents get you more money. He is not a savvy businessman nor is he educated or experienced in negotiation. Name one successful athlete who doesnāt pay for elite representation.
100% agreeā¦thereās definite value in learning about the business and your finances as a whole.
Possibly and probably true.
I wont fault a man for trying to do something themself though.
Its no skin off my back either way
Good for him.
Thereās more to this kid than meets the eye
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However, OāMalley recently revealed otherwise on The MMA Hour. Per āSuga,ā it was more of a perspective shift than increased paycheck, as heās now looking at high-profile UFC fights as an avenue to increase his other revenue streams like merchandise.