Sean O’Malley had his hopes high for the UFC White House card. And he got his wish fulfilled. In front of him will stand Aiemann Zahabi, making it a proper American vs. Canadian classic for the historic event on June 14. But is O’Malley content with the idea of fighting Zahabi when he had a potential title fight opportunity looming over his head?

Notably, right after his UFC 324 victory over Song Yadong, ‘Suga’ stated his wish to fight the bantamweight champion Petr Yan next. As such, he also wanted the bout to be at the White House card. However, the leading MMA promotion considered him for a fight against Zahabi. And right after that, O’Malley noted that he was ready to fight anybody when it came to the historic event. But as it seems, the Montana-native is still stuck on the prospect of fighting Yan on the UFC White House card.

O’Malley on his UFC White House fight

“Hell yeah. I want to fight Aiemann,” said Sean O’Malley on the Believe You Me podcast. “I mean, I thought me versus Petr would be like, I’m like, ‘F**k, that’s just at the White House? Suga vs. Petr? America vs. Thailand? Come on, now that would have been huge.

Yeah. I mean, I’m excited. I’m excited about the matchup. I think, as I said, I’m gonna go out there, and this is a fight for me to put on a memorable performance, and you know that’s what they want at these White House-like events.”

‘Suga’ once reigned as the UFC bantamweight champion. He defeated Aljamain Sterling in the process to win the title. But after a single title defense against Marlon Vera, Merab Dvalishvili stepped in to overthrow O’Malley. Not once, but even in the subsequent fight, the Montana-native failed to beat Dvalishvili to recapture the title.

But Petr Yan stepped up to the occasion to overthrow ‘The Machine’ and became the new bantamweight champion at UFC 323. Notably, when O’Malley fought Dvalishvili, he primarily struggled to counter the Georgian’s wrestling prowess. But Yan did that very efficiently. And stylistically, the Russian seems like a more convenient matchup to ‘Suga’.

To back that, we have seen their previous fight, remember? O’Malley fought Yan at UFC 280 back in 2022. It was a close affair where the Montana native edged out via split decision. Surely, he feels confident with the idea of facing Yan for the belt. Hence, despite getting booked against Aiemann Zahabi for the UFC White House event, O’Malley still wanted a bout against the Russian bantamweight champion.

While O’Malley did not get the match he wanted at the WHC, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor did not get to be a part of the event after calling out Michael Chandler and multiple other fighters from the UFC roster. ‘Suga’, however, will feature on the card.

The historic event is marked by America’s 250th anniversary, which coincides with POTUS Donald Trump’s birthday. Considering that, O’Malley envisioned a classic America vs. Thailand bout against Yan. And for those unaware, the Russian has an extensive Muay Thai pedigree and trains in Phuket, Thailand.

But what of his fight against Zahabi? Does ‘Suga’ have the skills to beat a rising contender like the Canadian? Only time will tell. However, it seems like O’Malley has bold plans for that bout.

Sean O’Malley eyes “KO” win over Aiemann Zahabi

In the current UFC bantamweight division, Aiemann Zahabi is arguably one of the most promising fighters. After a tough start to his UFC career, where he lost two in his first three bouts, Zahabi made a comeback.

And that comeback has now become a seven-fight winning streak, where he has defeated some of the veterans. To that end, even the likes of Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera fell short against Zahabi. Despite that impressive run of form, Sean O’Malley remains unfazed and eyes a decisive victory.

“I’m thinking June 14th is gonna be the day,” said O’Malley on his YouTube channel. “I gotta have a f**king beautiful KO. There’s no other option. Winning a decision is a loss. If I win a decision, take me out of the rankings. I need a finish here, fellas.”

When it comes to knockouts, the UFC community is well aware of O’Malley’s prowess. Out of his 19 professional MMA wins, ‘Suga’ has won 12 via knockouts. And boasting confidence in that pedigree, the Montana-native will look to put on another dominant performance.

On that note, who do you think wins between O’Malley and Zahabi on the UFC White House card? Let us know your prediction in the comments below!