Sean O’Malley is no stranger to eye-catching finishes, and on Sunday, June 14, at the White House, he plans to deliver a knockout for the history books. O’Malley, the former bantamweight champion, takes on Aiemann Zahabi on the South Lawn at UFC Freedom 250.
It’s a huge occasion for every fighter on the card, including O’Malley, but the Montana-native admitted that the matchup itself doesn’t get his pulse racing in quite the same was as his past opponents.
“It’s weird, because the fight itself feels less big, but the moment of being at the White House and this card being so massive, it's like still a big fight feel,” he explained when UFC.com visited him in Peoria, Arizona. “But I fought Petr (Yan) recently, I fought ‘Aljo’ (Aljamain Sterling), I fought Merab (Dvalishvili), I fought ‘Chito’ (Marlon Vera). Those were all pretty big fights, and the Song (Yadong) fight even felt a little bit bigger as far as opponent-wise. Aiemann is tough, he's on a seven-fight win streak, but I have to go out there and knock him out – simple as that. Winning a decision is a loss. I’ve got to go out there and put him away.”
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Some fighters aren’t keen on making bold predictions or declarations, but O’Malley has set high standards for himself throughout his career and knows that, in a crowded bantamweight title picture, he needs to deliver something special to force himself back towards the front of the queue at 135 pounds.
His unanimous decision victory over Song at UFC 324 certainly points him in the right direction. Before that win, O’Malley had lost his title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306, and then he was submitted by the Georgian in the rematch at UFC 316. Now, O’Malley plans to turn on the style once again as he prepares to face a fighter in top form, but one he feels isn’t on his level.
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When asked what Zahabi brings to the table in terms of a challenge, O’Malley immediately replied: “durability.”
“(José) Aldo basically soccer-kicked him in the face, and he came back to win the round. He's a very, very durable, very tough dude,” he said. “He's on a seven-fight win streak in the UFC, which is really hard to do, especially at bantamweight. So, he's got to be confident. I just truly believe there's levels to this game. I know there's levels to this game, and I believe I'm a level above him, multiple levels above him. Me, on my best night, I'm gonna go out there and just put on a shutout, put on a beautiful performance, a no-hitter. It's gonna be beautiful.”
While O’Malley acknowledges the toughness his Canadian opponent brings to the Octagon, O’Malley believes his strength of schedule gives him an edge.
“There's just some level of confidence there, being like, ‘OK, I've been in there with the best guys in the world, and I know I belong,” O’Malley said. “I believe I'm one of the best guys in the world, and I believe Aiemann's one of those guys who is very, very high up there, but he's not at that level, and I get to go out there and prove that.”
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O’Malley admitted that he’s “never been political,” but he did say he’s excited to compete on such a unique stage at the White House. “Suga” has competed everywhere from Abu Dhabi to Las Vegas, including headlining UFC’s event at Sphere, and he said he’s interested to see how different it feels in an event held outdoors.
“Fighting in Washington D.C. is going to be different,” he said. “I mean, I'm excited just for checking into the AirBnB … I enjoy all that. Fighting outside is going to be different – that's going to be pretty much the biggest difference of all of them. Usually it's in an arena, you feel this energy gets balled up, whereas we're outside – the energy goes everywhere.”
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Many of the fighters on the card have admitted to being honored and proud to be a part of this historic fight card, but O’Malley said that his full appreciation for the event will likely come once the event is all done and dusted. For now, his full focus is on putting on a show, claiming his 20th career win, and adding to his highlight reel in the process.
“Right now, I’ve still got to go out there and go to war with this guy,” he said. “This guy's trying to train to kill me, I'm training to kill him. And so right now it's like, it's cool, it's exciting. I appreciate it. I think after I look back and have the most legendary knockout of all time, it'll mean a lot more.”
From the moment O’Malley burst into the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series, he’s always chased big moments and highlight-reel finishes. And at the White House on June 14, he’s looking to produce another unforgettable moment to sit alongside Max Holloway’s jaw-dropping last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, and Jorge Masvidal’s five-second flying-knee KO of Ben Askren at UFC 239.
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“(I want to create) the most legendary KO picture of all time. I just picture (President Donald) Trump standing there,” he mused. “Maybe video, because I do have a little sequence I'd like to end with.’”
And O’Malley admitted he’d love nothing better than to acknowledge the President at Octagonside as he’s putting the finishing touches on a highlight-reel victory.
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“I plan on hitting a little salute to Trump with the finishing sequence after I hurt Aiemann, and that’s the goal right now,” he revealed. “So, I’m visualizing that, just absolutely insane knockouts. I've had a lot of crazy KO's, and I think the best one is yet to come.”
Don't miss a moment of UFC Freedom 250 presented by Crypto.com and Ram, live from The White House in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 14. The historic event begins at 8pm ET/5pm PT and can be streamed live on Paramount+.
