Sean O’Malley’s return to the UFC White House event has already gotten a lot of attention, but not for the reasons he probably expected. The former bantamweight champion is scheduled to face Aiemann Zahabi in Washington this June, but the bout has been heavily criticized ever since the full card was revealed.

Many fans wanted him to fight Cory Sandhagen instead, and the online backlash has put added pressure on ‘Suga’ going into the fight. Speaking on his YouTube channel while answering fan questions, Sean O’Malley admitted that he feels that pressure himself, and he understands this fight can’t just be another win on the scorecards.

“I’m thinking June 14th is gonna be the day,” O’Malley said. “I gotta have a f—— 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.”

The statement stands out because Sean O’Malley is currently ranked third in the bantamweight division, and a win at the White House card may keep him close to another title opportunity.

Instead of talking about playing it safe, he stated clearly that he wants a highlight finish, even if it means putting his position in the rankings on the line. It is worth noting that his comments came after weeks of criticism over the Zahabi fight, with many fans feeling it should have been against Cory Sandhagen.

The longtime contender openly stated that he wanted the fight and even reacted furiously when the announcement revealed a different opponent, sparking speculation online that ‘Suga’ avoided the tougher matchup. However, O’Malley has denied the allegations, claiming that he never turned down ‘The Sandman’ and that the fight was never offered to him in the first place.

Sean O’Malley insists Cory Sandhagen was never an option

While criticism of the Zahabi matchup grew, much of it focused on reports that O’Malley avoided Cory Sandhagen. The contender had been lobbying for the fight as the White House card began to take shape, and when the announcement revealed a new opponent, many felt the former champion had turned it down.

However, Sean O’Malley claims the situation never got to that point.

“The narrative that I’m ducking him or scared, dude, I’m not scared of Cory Sandhagen,” he told The MMA Guru. “We’ve fought the same people. I beat Aljo [Aljamain Sterling], Petr [Petr Yan], and he lost to them.

The I’m ducking Cory [narrative]; they’ve never offered me Cory. I’ve never turned Cory down.”

The former bantamweight champion added that the only time Sandhagen’s name came up was in a short-notice situation following his loss to Merab Dvalishvili, but nothing came from it either.

According to ‘Suga,’ he understands why fans wanted this fight, but the ultimate decision was not his; therefore, he is now focusing on the White House fight rather than the opponent many expected.