“I Don’t Like Them” – Sean O’Malley Critiques UFC Freedom 250 Custom Fight Kit Design

Sean O'Malley has come out to criticize the custom fight kits that the UFC released for the fighters on the UFC Freedom 250 card.

“I Don’t Like Them” – Sean O’Malley Critiques UFC Freedom 250 Custom Fight Kit Design

Sean O'Malley is not a fan of the custom fight kits for the UFC Freedom 250 card [via Threads]

In Short
  • Sean O'Malley criticized the UFC Freedom 250 custom fight kits, calling them "ugly" and lacking effort in design.
  • The fight kits feature a uniform America-themed motif, differing from recent custom shorts tailored to individual fighters.
  • O'Malley faces fan backlash regarding his star status after receiving little media attention at a recent press conference.

The UFC Freedom 250 custom fight kits were unveiled on Monday. The promotion, in conjunction with Complex, put up a post on social media showcasing the fighters on the White House card reacting to and posing in the custom kits. However, one of the fighters on the card, former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, is not a fan of his custom fight kit.

Lately, the UFC has leaned heavily into custom shorts for its superstar fighters. Israel Adesanya, Max Holloway, Alex Pereira, Charles Oliveira, and many others have received custom fight shorts ahead of some of their recent fights. Now, it appears the UFC White House card fighters have received the same treatment.

However, unlike the recent custom shorts, which were tailored to the fighters’ personas, the fight kits for the UFC Freedom 250 card are more homogenous. All of the fight kits for the upcoming card feature a near-identical America-themed motif. But Sean O’Malley shared with The MMA Guru that his point of contention was the perceived lack of effort behind their design.

They’re ugly. Mine were ugly. I don’t like them. They’re not pink, which is fine. Whatever. I wore other colors. I’m not going to not show up because my shorts aren’t pink. I’ll make my hair pink. Whatever. But I’m just like, did they go on Fiverr and say, ‘Hey, you know, we got these guys getting in a fight at the White House lawn. Can you just come up with something?’

Sean O’Malley via livestream

Suga’s critique of the custom fight kits was echoed in the comments of the UFC’s X post unveiling them. Given how extravagant the UFC has touted this upcoming card to be, fans were left disappointed by the unvarying designs of the fight kits. A fighter like Suga, who admittedly begged to be a part of the card, criticizing the fight kits’ designs, is telling of their quality.

But O’Malley has always been outspoken, never one to hold back what he truly feels, even at the risk of inviting his employers’ ire. He recently lamented Conor Benn signing to ZUFFA Boxing for a multi-million dollar deal, highlighting the difference between the boxer’s deal and UFC fighter contracts.

Nonetheless, Suga is dealing with some fan backlash of his own heading into the White House card that has put his stardom into question.

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Sean O’Malley has been downgraded from ‘star’ status by fans

After he beat Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292, Sean O’Malley was cemented as one of the biggest stars in the UFC. In 2024, he headlined the stacked UFC 299 pay-per-view against Marlon Vera, and then went on to main event UFC 306 at the Sphere later in the year. But things have changed since then.

Sean O'Malley
Sean O’Malley at the UFC Freedom 250 presser [via Bloody Elbow]

The UFC recently held a press conference in Newark for the upcoming White House card. It was a chaotic affair with things getting heated between Ilia Topuria and Josh Hokit. However, someone who was barely acknowledged during the presser was Sean O’Malley. He received a grand total of 0 questions during the chaotic event.

Of course, him receiving no questions could come down to the press conference itself being cut short after Hokit was escorted off stage by security. Even so, UFC fans online have questioned how big a star Sean O’Malley really is after he was practically ignored by the media personnel present for the Newark press conference.

Even so, O’Malley’s stature as a content creator has grown recently with his collaborations with popular streamers like N3on and MMA Guru. O’Malley even put the former on blast after N3on hung out with Suga’s upcoming White House card opponent during a livestream.

All that said, Sean O’Malley has a golden opportunity to re-establish his status as a top contender by beating Aiemann Zahabi next month. Not only will it extend Suga’s winning streak to 2, but it may also open the door for a potential rematch against bantamweight champion Petr Yan.

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