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UFC Fighter Sean O’Malley Awarded BJJ Brown Belt

Ben Coate

A fast-rising UFC star has leveled up in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Sean O’Malley was recently awarded his brown belt from instructors Augusto “Tanqinho” Mendes and Tim Welch.

Currently sporting a 13-1 professional MMA record, Sean O’Malley burst onto the scene in 2017 with a spectacular knockout of Alfred Khashakyan on Dana White’s Contender Series. That performance earned him a spot on the UFC roster, where he has earned a record of 5-1. O’Malley is coming off a third-round knockout of Thomas Almeida at UFC 260, and is currently scheduled to face Louis Smolka at UFC 264 on July 10.

Although he tends to do his best work with his hands and feet, O’Malley is no stranger to jiu-jitsu competition. In addition to local tournaments, he has competed on Quintet Ultra, where he submitted Takanori Gomi, lost to Hector Lombard, and put up a strong performance in a draw against Gilbert Melendez.

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and currently holds the rank of brown belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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