For UFC women’s flyweight star Casey O’Neill, fighting isn’t just a passion—it’s in her DNA. Born in Irvine, Scotland, O’Neill’s journey took a dramatic turn when her family relocated to Australia when she was just 10. Her father, Cam, was a former professional kickboxer. But after he hung up his gloves, he launched his own MMA promotion as the family settled into their new life in a new country. Young Casey soon laced up her own gloves, determined to carve out her own path in the world of combat sports.

Now ranked no. 15 in the women’s flyweight division, ‘King’ Casey O’Neill has captured the spotlight with her relentless, all-action fighting style. Her incredible rise in the MMA world has sparked curiosity among fans eager to peek behind the curtain of her life outside the Octagon. So, let’s step into her world and explore what we know about her relationships, dating life, and more!

Who is Casey O’Neill’s boyfriend?

Casey O’Neill is currently in a relationship with professional MMA fighter, Ty Gwerder. Known as ‘Savage,’ Gwerder hones his skills at the Xtreme Couture gym and recently stepped into the cage under the Fury FC banner on July 21. With a professional record of 7-5, he’s no stranger to the fight game, having tested his mettle in LFA and Bellator.

But Gwerder isn’t the only one in O’Neill’s life who’s knee-deep in combat sports. Her father, as mentioned above, was a kickboxer who went on to start his own MMA promotion. And the fighting spirit doesn’t stop there—her younger sister, Robyn, is also training to fight and even runs her own MMA shows in Australia.

But even though her father is now one of her biggest supporters, that wasn’t always the case. In a 2021 interview with the Scottish Sun, O’Neill admitted, “And he was like ‘there is absolutely no way she’s doing MMA.’ It was very frowned upon at the time for girls to do MMA and even though I was training it, he wasn’t too keen on me doing it.”

Her father’s apprehension wasn’t without reason. ‘King’ further explained in the interview, “You don’t make a lot of money, you’re always at risk of injury and your job is literally trying to hurt other people and other people trying to hurt you.”

O’Neill didn’t waver in her resolve though, and eventually, her father gave in, supporting her dream of becoming a professional fighter. To chase her ambitions, Casey has also revealed she doesn’t just spar with female fighters. She mixes it up for some fascinating reasons!

O’Neill’s unique approach to training and sparring 

For many fighters, preparation in the gym can sometimes be even harder than fights inside the Octagon. That’s the same mentality ‘King’ applies to her training for MMA by sparring with male fighters at Xtreme Couture. As a 125 lbs. division competitor in the UFC, O’Neill shared in an interview with MMA Fighting from 2022, “I like to train with people who are bigger than me, stronger than me, faster than me, better than me… I just try to train with boys all the time. ”

While she does train with female fighters at the gym, O’Neill also revealed, “Because also when you look at it, there’s so little females in the sport that everyone’s ego gets a little bit in the way. I love just being able to train with the boys, because they’re not looking at me as an opponent.”

In conclusion, from overcoming her father’s initial hesitations to pushing herself in training alongside male fighters, Casey O’Neill has proven that she’s willing to do whatever it takes to succeed in the sport she loves. Now, she’s set to take on Luana Santos at UFC 305 on August 18 in Perth, Australia with the fans watching closely to see what heights the young rising star will achieve next!