“Elena, my little princess, she’s 4, she’s been doing Jiu-Jitsu. She got her first stripe, that was a really cool moment.”Sean O’Malley couldn’t be prouder of his 4-year-old daughter, as he shared the big news on UFC 316 Countdown. But it was all possible because of one change that he brought into his life after losing the bantamweight belt to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. Those who remember the bout know that ‘The Machine’ utterly humiliated ‘Suga’ at the Sphere. And after the loss, O’Malley literally disappeared from social media for some time. And it was all for the best.

Staying away from social media pushed the former bantamweight champion to spend more time with his family. He was able to focus more on being a father and a husband. This even helped him in putting Elena O’Malley on one of the first batches in a facility that he built with his coach, Tim Welch, where he taught Jiu-Jitsu to children. And having his daughter get her first stripe was nothing short of a proud moment for ‘Suga.’

After disclosing the details of his daughter’s achievement, O’Malley weighed in on the ripples that his decision had on his personal life. He said, “I quit social media, I quit s——. Just wanted less distractions in my life, in just general. I was too attached to ‘Suga.’ Too attached to this character. And it was like pulling me out of who I am on a day-to-day basis. I’m a dad, I’m a husband. To be honest, it’s been life-changing for sure. Everyone has a higher self, and the higher self guides them through life, what you’re supposed to do and not supposed to do. I want to dedicate everything I have to the sport, because I truly believe I could be one of the greatest of all time. To do that, my higher self guided me to do more family time, less pointless s—.”