Comedian and former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub gave his thoughts on Sean O’Malley’s recent displeasure with how he has been treated by UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
Schaub said on his podcast “Below the Belt” that while he likes Sean Shelby, he agrees with everything O’Malley said. However, Schaub added that ‘Suga’ has to be careful because what he said could come back around if he experiences misfortune in the octagon.
“Sean’s in a spot where he can talk like this and he’ll be okay ‘cause he’s undeniable,” Schaub said. “He just has to keep winning, because as soon as you start losing, they’re gonna bring this back and hold it against you. But right now he’s fine.”
Schaub then circled back to the specific points he agreed with O’Malley on.
“I’m with him though. F–k fighting in New York, with the taxes, flying out there, his coach isn’t there. Who cares if he fights a month later? It’s Vegas. Be cool, UFC,” Schaub said. “The UFC has to do a better job of not treating their employees like they work for f—–g Apple. This isn’t some China, China slave factory. Like, treat them like human beings, it’s going to go so much further for everybody involved. Just be cool.
“Like why not be like ‘Hey Sean, we want you to fight.’ ‘Ah, my coach isn’t going to be there and I don’t wanna pay the taxes in New York. Can I just fight on the next card?’ ‘Yeah, we’ll get you an opponent, no problem.’ Click. Move on to the next guy. I’m with ‘Suga’ on this. Don’t treat him like s–t, man. There’s just no need for it.”
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Schaub then noted O’Malley’s reach and influence as a result of his following, and suggested it is in the UFC’s best interest to avoid a conflict with him.
“‘Suga’ Sean’s a massive star. So what you don’t want is ‘Suga’ Sean going on his podcast and Twitch and whatever else he’s doing because he’s such a big star, shining a light on how bad you treat these guys. You don’t need that right now. Because then these people look into it like ‘Oh, they’re mistreating their athletes,’ and then you got problems on your hands.”
Schaub has been outspoken in the past with his dissatisfaction of how he was treated during his time with the UFC. It seems after hearing O’Malley’s take, the retired heavyweight understands his perspective.