UFC No. 7-ranked bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi improved his six-fight win streak last weekend at UFC Vancouver. The 37-year-old managed to squeeze out a close split decision win over veteran Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Right after his fight, the Canadian bantamweight did the UFC matchmakers a favor by calling out former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. 

“I want Sean O’Malley next, baby,” the TriStar Gym member confidently yelled. “It’s me and the ‘Suga’ show.” What followed made it clear that the American switch-hitter got the message loud and clear. Though he didn’t directly accept the callout, O’Malley fired back on X with a clip of himself reacting to it—sarcastically pretending to be confused about the reason behind it. 

Aiemann Zahabi finds all the mockery “interesting”

O’Malley’s clip quickly gained traction on social media, with fans jumping in on the mockery. However, Aiemann Zahabi isn’t backing down. In a recent interview with MiddleEasy, he fired back at the criticism. “I haven’t really thought about anybody else,” Zahabi said when asked if he had any other opponent in mind besides O’Malley for his next fight. “I feel like the O’Malley one is the most likely scenario.”

Acknowledging the mockery of his callout, Zahabi added, “I know people are really making fun of my callout, but I find that interesting because when O’Malley was the champ, he fought Marlon Vera, and Marlon Vera was number six.” He drew a comparison between that matchup and his own position, pointing out that he currently sits at No. 7 while Sean O’Malley holds the No. 1 spot.

“It’s the same difference, it’s the same spot jump. It’s not like I’m calling from that far out,” he said. Zahabi then took a jab at O’Malley, referencing his back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili and implying that ‘Suga’ won’t be getting a third crack at the Georgian without first facing someone else.

Making his case further, Zahabi argued that he presents the most logical choice for O’Malley’s next bout. “If he looks at the other guys he can fight, I feel like, in his perspective, I’ve got to be, supposedly to him, the easiest fight. Plus, I’ve got a seven-fight win streak, wouldn’t that boost his story?” he said during the interview.

Zahabi described the matchup as a “win-win” for O’Malley. In the meantime, though, the latter appears to be dreaming about a third fight against Dvalishvili anyway. 

Sean O’Malley thinks he is the only one who can beat Merab Dvalishvili

The former UFC bantamweight champion thinks there’s only one man who can dethrone Merab Dvalishvili—and that’s himself. After Dvalishvili’s dominant win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, O’Malley admitted that “to beat Merab, you just have to land that shot. You have to be able to f—king snipe him.” The reigning champion has looked unstoppable, defending his title three times this year and even showing improved striking. 

However, O’Malley doesn’t appear to have learned from his two losses to Dvalishvili, as ‘Suga’ sees that confidence as a potential weakness. “He’s very, very confident right now in his standup… The more confident he gets in his striking, the more gaps it leaves open to be caught,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. Even though he acknowledged Dvalishvili’s dominance, he doubled down on his belief. 

“I don’t see anyone else being able to beat him… He needs to be clipped, he needs to be knocked out—and I just don’t really see anyone other than myself being able to do it.”

It’s clear that Sean O’Malley still believes he can flip the script against Merab Dvalishvili someday. But before that becomes a reality, he’ll have to prove he’s worthy of a third encounter. Could Aiemann Zahabi be the right test to determine that?