Sean O’Malley has never shied away from the spotlight, and Sunday’s UFC White House card represents exactly the kind of stage he envisioned for himself long before becoming a champion. The former bantamweight titleholder returns against Aiemann Zahabi in a matchup that could move him one step closer to another shot at UFC gold, even if O’Malley is careful not to look too far ahead.
“Yeah huge moments, big cards. Definitely this is kind of what I envisioned coming up,” O’Malley told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.
“The White House card’s epic. I’m not the main event, I’m not the headliner, I’m honored to be on it. Super excited to be on it.”
O’Malley (19-3) said that a matchup with Zahabi had actually been on the table before, but circumstances within the bantamweight division repeatedly sent him in different directions.
While other names such as Song Yadong and Petr Yan were also discussed, the former champion said he’s ultimately good with how things unfolded and sees Zahabi as an opponent who’ll bring a good fight.
“After the second Merab (Dvalishvili) fight, Aiemann called me out, I said yes. UFC said, ‘you’re fighting Song’. So I was like alright,” he said.
“Then this comes around. I wanted to fight Petr. They said Aiemann. I like the matchup.”
O’Malley said his preparation for Zahabi has centered around preparing for a relentless pressure attack from the Canadian. Drawing comparisons to some of the toughest fighters he has faced, the former bantamweight champion anticipates Zahabi continuing to move forward even under heavy fire, though he isn’t convinced he’ll be able to withstand the same punishment for long.
“Turn 15-minute timer on and punch the punching bag for 15 minutes. Chito’s (Vera) as durable as it comes. You guys saw what I did to Chito. It could be that Kris Mountinho kind of style. Come forward, get hit, but come forward,” he said.
“It’s kind of what I’m expecting out of him. Except I don’t think he’s going to be able to take the shots.”
O’Malley will be looking for another shot at UFC gold with a win over Zahabi, but he stopped short of assuming that he’d be the next 135er to fight for the title.
With the bantamweight division continuing to evolve around him, the former champion said he’s remaining flexible and focused on handling the task directly in front of him before worrying about what comes next.
“My next fight will probably be for the title,” O’Malley said.
“I don’t know if the next title fight will involve me in it. Seems like Petr-Merab’s kind of the way it’s leaning, but whether I wait or take another fight, I don’t know. It’s so hard to predict how these fights play out. Taking it one fight at a time.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Sean O’Malley above. He faces Aiemann Zahabi at UFC White House on Sunday night.
