Renowned mixed martial arts (MMA) coach Tim Welch was instantly hooked the first time he stepped onto a pickleball court earlier this year at a Picklr location.

The same was true for his close friend and star pupil, UFC standout “Suga” Sean O’Malley, who joined Welch for that memorable introduction to America’s fastest-growing sport.

“We discovered pickleball together about eight months ago. We’re like, ‘Holy smokes, we could get really good at this! This is too fun!’ We just kept playing and playing,” recalled Welch, a former professional MMA fighter himself. “Then an older couple, probably in their 60s or 70s, just smoked us with their tactics and their gameplay. I was like, ‘Wow! This is an awesome game!’ We had so much fun.”

Being outplayed by senior citizens obviously didn’t discourage Welch and O’Malley in the slightest. 

If anything, it pushed them to dive deeper into the nuances of pickleball, fix their mistakes, and improve as quickly as possible.

“Over time, we learned about things like playing close to the kitchen and how to have the best third shot,” said Welch. “We tried to learn it like we have with martial arts and earning a belt in jiu-jitsu.”

It didn’t take Welch long to recognize pickleball as an ideal complement to O’Malley’s training regimen, deepening their appreciation for it even more. 

MMA and pickleball proved to be a natural pairing.

“Being a professional fighter takes consistency, discipline, and good tactics, and pickleball is a perfect active recovery for the sport,” insisted Welch. “It’s almost like doing ladders, getting Sean’s ankles in shape. It’s almost like doing plyometrics with this sport.”

Welch and O’Malley grew so immersed in pickleball that they partnered to open an indoor facility in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria.

The Pickle Dojo is situated next door to Welch’s renowned MMA gym, Red Hawk Academy, and his coffee shop, Red Hawk’s Java House.

“It kind of came about pretty quick. When the building became available and it was 12,500 square feet, we were like, ‘This is perfect! Let’s put four pickleball courts in there. Let’s open our own spot!’ We’re really trying to play it by ear and learn the business. We’ve been in the gym and MMA and jiu-jitsu business for a long time, and this one’s pretty new to us,” explained Welch. “But we’re right by Sun City, which is a huge retirement community in Arizona, so we really wanted to make it an '80s vibe and cater to the 50 and older crowd.”

One glance at the photos and videos of The Pickle Dojo on social media shows that Welch and O’Malley’s design vision has been fully realized.

The space exudes '80s retro style from floor to ceiling with a striking color scheme.

“We have '80s tunes playing all the time, and we want a bunch of '80s memorabilia there. When the older folks come in, we want it just to be a throwback and a great vibe for tournaments and leagues,” confirmed Welch. “It definitely has a little bit of Sean’s style. If you watch his MMA fights or his press conferences, his hair is really curly and pink and bright, and he has a Lamborghini and a Ferrari that are very pink and bright, so it fits with his vibe. We wanted colors that were bright and exciting, so you go in there and just feel the energy.”

Welch and O’Malley were eager to create a space where people could escape the daily grind, have fun, build connections, and enhance their respective fitness levels.

The Pickle Dojo will certainly deliver on all of those goals.

“We already developed such a strong, great community at Red Hawk Academy, and we want to do the same thing here. This facility is just somewhere people can come, not think about anything going on in their lives, be around good energy, be around good people who are trying to better themselves, and just improve their pickleball skills while also improving their overall health,” insisted Welch. “I think people will be impressed when they come in. There’s going to be a lot of MMA fighters and jiu-jitsu athletes around, and they’ll love how friendly everyone is.”

Welch is grateful for Proton Sports’ involvement in the pickleball venture.

The company’s expertise and insights have been invaluable.

“Proton has been a huge help for us. [Founder and President] Charles [Darling] has been in the business for so long, so being able to get his advice and get his help with things to do, it's been priceless. They sponsored us and got us going with the facility, so it means a lot,“ praised Welch. “Their paddles are really sweet, too, so we have Proton all over The Pickle Dojo. We're very thankful to be partners with them.“

With O’Malley gearing up for a high-stakes bantamweight fight against Song Yadong at UFC 324 on January 24 in Las Vegas, Welch confirmed that his fighter will be taking a quick timeout from pickleball to minimize the risk of injury.

That may be tough, though, given how genuinely passionate both of them are about it.

“Proabably just the opportunity for growth really hooked us on pickleball—going and playing and realizing like, 'Wow! You could get good at this pretty fast, depending on how many days a week you play and your commitment to the sport.' I guess our openness to learning played a part in that, too,“ noted Welch. “Throughout our martial arts careers, we've always just been obsessed with trying to grow in different areas. This just gives us a little break from martial arts and lets us grow and have fun in a different sport.“

Welch and O’Malley go back a long way, making the chance to do this together especially meaningful.

Their excitement for The Pickle Dojo is off the charts.

“We're both originally from Montana. When I was still competing, Sean saw me fighting on Spike TV. I came back to my hometown to commentate some fights, and I watched him when he was 16 years old. I was like, ‘Well, that guy's got some talent. You can tell he really loves it, but we'll see if he sticks with it.’ Two years later, I go back to my hometown, and he's fighting again. He wins his fight, and I went up to him and invited him to come train with me in Arizona with some real professionals,“ recalled Welch. “He moved down shortly after, we got an apartment, and we've been working together for about 13 years and kind of climbed to the top together.“

So did he ever imagine that, somewhere along their journey, he’d end up opening a pickleball facility with his good buddy?

“Never in a million years,“ he concluded. “Never in a million years.“