Sean O’Malley is sick and tired of the same old ‘stupid’ weight cuts.
Ahead of his next fight against Petr Yan, the UFC bantamweight star says he is more of a lightweight, since he walks around at 155lbs. Of course, this weight class differential is far from strange in the fight game. O’Malley cuts about 20lbs like most other fighters to make weight for their fights.
O’Malley On Weight Cuts: ‘Why Are We Doing This To Ourselves?’
But, ‘Sugar’ wonders if there is a better way for weight cuts, one that doesn’t involve fighters ‘killing themselves’ before stepping on the scales.
“I figured out weight cutting. I figured out how to change it,” O’Malley said on his podcast. “Same day weigh-ins. Like, I’m about to go walk out, I have to be this weight. Cause if I fought, if I didn’t cut weight, I would be a lightweight. I would fight Charles Oliveira. I would fight Islam Makhachev I’d fight Justin Gaethje… I don’t wanna do that. I’m a lightweight, dude. I’m a 155er. I walk around, never get above 160 [lbs].
“[Weight cuts are] just so stupid dude. So stupid. I catch myself thinking about it because I’m dieting. I basically went from fight camp to fight camp 12 weeks to 12 weeks fight camp. I’m f*cking sick of dieting. I feel great. But you just want a snack, but I can’t snack. Can’t f*cking eat extra little foods here and there. I can’t do it. I gotta make weight. Not that big of a deal. Could be worse, but it caught myself thinking. I’m like, why are we doing this to ourselves?”
What If?
O’Malley would then imagine himself fighting at 155lbs, his natural weight class and what would come from that scenario.
“Imagine, I am fighting at 155, October 22nd [against Petr Yan]. I don’t have to cut weight. You have a pound allowance… Makes sense to me, diet down, walking around at like 152, 153, maybe 151. So then I can eat, eat breakfast, eat lunch. Oh, I’m about to fight. Oh we gotta jump on the scale. 1 55. Cool, I didn’t kill myself.”
“Something to think about, UFC, let me know,” O’Malley said. “I’m going to talk to Dana [White], shoot him a text. Hear me out Dana, we weigh in about an hour before we walk out…
“We’re not killing ourselves, I think the fights are gonna be f*cking sweet, regardless. Bar fights are sweet. You know what I mean? When you’re on weight, you’re dying. You have no water in you. Your organs. Your f*cking, everything is just hurt, like dying. Not fun. Everyone goes through it. Everyone does it and it’s just f*cking stupid.”
‘Sugar’ Trolls Petr Yan
Sean O’Malley would bring out the sarcasm in full force, telling his next opponent Yan to weigh in at 155 and that he won’t be making the cut down to bantamweight. ‘Sugar’ got jokes.
“So, I’m a lightweight now. Coming for you, Charles [Oliveira].” O’Malley laughed. “I’m weighing in at 155, f*ck it. Petr, if you see this brother, just weigh in at 155. But yeah, I’m moving up the lightweight.
“I’m not making weight for this fight. I’m weighing in at 155, my natural weight. So let me know Petr, if you’re down or not and if you’re too small, like you only walk around like one 50, I’ll make that too, brother. So let me know. Appreciate you.”
We’ll see if Sean O’Malley keeps the joke going at the UFC 280 weigh-ins, come October.
