Sean Sharaf grabbed headlines after knocking out undefeated prospect Gable Steveson at UFC 331 this past Saturday. But rather than calling out a new opponent after his big win, the former United States Marine instead recited a prayer for his late father, who died under tragic circumstances while working for Disney.

In a recent conversation with Bradley Martin on the Raw Talk podcast, Sharaf opened up about his father’s death and revealed what happened that day.

“He died at work,” Sharaf revealed. “He had a heart attack, and he fell. Ironically, it was at Disney. So Disney owns UFC. So, like, I bleed for the same company where my dad died. And it was, like, super messed up because they let him bleed out because they didn’t want to, they didn’t want to blow up the spot, basically, and have an ambulance come before the on-site doctor checked him.

“And basically, because of that, he, like, bled out on the floor because they waited till the doctor came, and they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, we should probably call an ambulance.’ And then they called the ambulance, and then they came, and, yeah, they called me out. It was my sophomore year in school. And, um, they called me and told me, like, ‘Hey, like, you need to come to the hospital,’ and he was already dead.”

Sharaf was still in school when he received the devastating news. While the UFC heavyweight has rarely spoken publicly about his family, he has previously revealed that his father is ethnically Palestinian and that he immigrated from Jerusalem to the United States when he was young.

However, the detail that “Disney owns UFC” is factually incorrect. TKO is the parent company behind UFC, and Disney is a separate corporation altogether. But there is a connection of sorts here.

Disney is the parent company of ESPN, which previously held the UFC’s broadcast rights in the United States. This past connection between Disney and the UFC likely makes the loss particularly personal for Sharaf.

However, it remains unclear which department Sean Sharaf’s father worked in at Disney, and the circumstances he described have not been independently established.

Disney’s website outlines medical emergency procedures at its theme parks and water parks, including First Aid centers for guests and staff who require medical attention. The company also advises people to call 911 in emergency situations.

There, however, have been documented cases of Disney employees suffering fatal medical emergencies while at work.

According to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration report published on July 14, 2022, a 64-year-old male employee suffered a heart attack at the Magic Kingdom Maintenance Assembly Shop while performing maintenance work on a roller coaster. The report did not identify the employee by name but stated that coworkers performed CPR while waiting for an ambulance.

The employee was then transported to a hospital after the ambulance arrived, where doctors pronounced him dead. The OSHA report also noted that he had a pre-existing heart condition.

In another case, a Disney Cruise Line employee, Maria Ana Reis Martins, sued the company in 2019 after alleging that she did not receive adequate medical treatment from the ship’s doctors following a car accident during a port call. The incident was not fatal, but a Brevard County jury later ordered Disney to pay Martins $4 million: $2 million for lost earnings, $1 million for pain and suffering, and $1 million in punitive damages.

But Sean Sharaf is also not the only UFC fighter to lose his father in a workplace tragedy. UFC lightweight Esteban Ribovics previously revealed that he lost his father in a workplace accident when he was just 11 years old.

For the former United States Marine who served his country for six years, his father’s death remains part of the story behind his motivation outside the Octagon.

While his father’s death left him bereaved, his mother is still alive, and the 33-year-old has made it clear that helping her is now one of his biggest priorities.

Sean Sharaf gifts his post-fight bonus to his mother, who’s facing health struggles

For those who may not know, Sharaf entered UFC 331 carrying a major burden. Before the event, the former United States Marine revealed that he was dealing with around $600K in outstanding debt after making a series of poor financial decisions, including gambling and purchasing an expensive truck.

Yet after scoring the biggest win of his career against Gable Steveson in just 12 seconds, Sharaf decided to use his $100K post-fight bonus to help his 66-year-old mother rather than immediately put the money toward his debt.

Speaking to Megan Olivi backstage at UFC 331, Sharaf explained why his mother was the priority.

“I just really want to be able to help my mom, and I just want to help her retire this year,” Sharaf told Megan Olivi in a backstage interview at UFC 331. “She’s got a lot of health problems. I just want to call my mom. She’s been worrying about me, and she’s been praying so hard for me.

“She wanted to come, but the last one I was all busted up, so I was worried about her. She’s got asthma. She’s got a pacemaker. She’s got so many health problems. She has sciatica right now, and I just want to help her retire. So I’m really hoping to get a bonus. I could give that to her and help her take some time off from work. That’d be really great.”

Sharaf’s wish came true in California. He initially received a $50,000 Paramount+ MobLand bonus for his performance before Dana White matched it with another $50,000, giving him a total of $100,000.

The money won’t erase the financial problems Sean Sharaf has previously discussed, but it gives him an opportunity to help the mother he says has supported him throughout his career. And after revealing the painful circumstances surrounding his father’s death, the 5-2 fighter’s decision to give that money to his mother carries an even deeper meaning.