Sean O’Malley gave a pretty honest answer when Ilia Topuria’s latest business move came up, and it was not the usual fake-fighter humility routine.
Topuria recently signed with Richard Mille, one of the most exclusive luxury watch brands in sports, and O’Malley admitted on his YouTube channel that the news got a real reaction out of him.
He said, “I am jealous, I haven’t felt the jealousy emotion in a long time.”
He then explained exactly when it hit, adding:
“But I felt it when Tim [Welch] sent me a screenshot of Ilia signing with Richard Mille. I was like ‘oh, that’s sick’.”
That reaction stands out because O’Malley is not some anonymous contender trying to break through. He has spent years building himself into one of the UFC’s most marketable names, with a style, image, and following that already make him stand out from most of the roster. So when a guy like that openly says he felt jealous, it says something about how highly this kind of sponsorship is viewed. O’Malley is also still chasing another big moment of his own, which adds even more weight to the timing of the reaction.
O’Malley also made it clear he was not hating on Topuria. He gave him full credit for the run that led to the deal.
He said, “But I’m also like ‘dude, he knocked out three legends, three Hall of Famers in a row, he’s headlining the White House, well deserved, 100 per cent’, he deserves it…”
That is the part that matters most. O’Malley felt the envy, but he also knew exactly why Topuria landed a sponsorship like that.
Sean O’Malley says he’s jealous of Ilia Topuria signing with Richard Mille 😂😭
“I haven’t felt jealousy in a long time, and I felt it when Ilia signed with Richard Mille.”
(Via @SugaSeanMMA ) pic.twitter.com/jCVBWqRvVT
— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) March 30, 2026
Sean O’Malley gave Ilia Topuria full credit for earning it
That balance is what made the quote worth paying attention to. O’Malley was not taking cheap shots or trying to downplay what Topuria has done. He was admitting that the deal was impressive enough to make another star notice. O’Malley has already spoken highly of Topuria before, so the respect here does not feel forced.
He also added a little laugh to it, saying:
“I do have two Richards though! He probably had one too. It’s cool though, I was like ‘that’s sick dude’, that’s f—ing cool.”
This was less about petty jealousy and more about recognition. O’Malley saw a sponsorship deal that means something, admitted he wanted that kind of look too, and still gave full respect to the guy who got it.
