Sean O’Malley, like many fighters and fans the world over, sat down to watch UFC Vancouver this past Saturday night. The Rogers Arena card saw Aiemann Zahabi, the No. 9 contender in the bantamweight ranks, emerge victorious after 15 minutes of action against No. 7 contender Marlon Vera by way of unanimous decision.
In the aftermath of UFC Vancouver over the weekend, Sean O’Malley, the No. 1 contender at 135 lbs, was challenged to a fight from Aiemann Zahabi after the latter outpaced “Chito” inside the fabled Octagon.
Reaction to Aiemann Zahabi calling me out pic.twitter.com/EMvWM3Rcvq
— Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) October 19, 2025
“Sean O’Malley, you’re next, baby,” Aiemann Zahabi simply said. “It’s me and the Suga Show!” In a video posted to O’Malley’s X account this past Saturday night, “Suga” can be seen reacting to Zahabi’s challenge by moving his head as the camera pans back to O’Malley’s television.
Aiemann Zahabi Reacts to Sean O’Malley’s Wordless Video
Although O’Malley didn’t actually verbalize his thoughts concerning Aiemann Zahabi’s invitation to fight in the new year, the video gives the impression that “Suga” was receptive to Zahabi’s challenge once the calendar flips to 2026. During Zahabi’s post-fight media availability in British Columbia on Saturday night, the topic of Sean O’Malley was addressed.
“That’s good,” Zahabi told the assembled press backstage Oct. 18. “It seems like we’re setting [the fight] up. If he didn’t want it, he wouldn’t have made a video.”
Aiemann Zahabi has more than earned the right to call out top-ranked Sean O’Malley after his latest victory. Zahabi sputtered out of the gate to begin his UFC tenure, but has turned it around tremendously of late.
Zahabi Winner of Seven Straight Ahead of Sean O’Malley Callout
UFC Vancouver marked Aiemann Zahabi’s seventh win in succession in the aftermath of losing two out of his first three contests under the promotional banner. Dating back to the start of his current winning streak, he’s beaten the likes of Aoriqileng, Jose Aldo, and Drako Rodriguez in addition to Marlon Vera in Vancouver this past Saturday night.
Zahabi is on a hot streak of late, and when a fighter is on a hot streak, he’s a contestant at his most dangerous. It’s even more of a threat if said fighter is ranked in his weight class.
Still, though, one must wonder if the challenge Aiemann Zahabi issued to Sean O’Malley is too big of an ask. O’Malley is, after all, the former UFC Bantamweight Champion.
Examining Sean O’Malley’s Recent Form
In order to find Sean O’Malley’s latest fight inside the Octagon, you’d need to travel back in time to the evening of June 7 in Newark, NJ. That evening, “Suga” saw his 14th career appearance under Dana White’s promotional banner end in defeat by way of third-round submission by way of north south choke with 18 seconds left on the clock in a rematch vs. Merab Dvalishvili.
His initial fight against Dvalishvili didn’t go that well, either. Back on Sept. 14, 2024 inside the Vegas Sphere in UFC 306, the two contestants went the full advertised 25 minutes, dropping a unanimous decision to Dvalishvili.
Prior to his ongoing two-fight losing streak, Sean O’Malley had been unbeaten in his previous seven trips to the cage, going 6-0 with one no-contest between March of 2021 and March of last year. This begs one simple question:
Would Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi be a Must-See Fight?
At the core, a potential contest matching these two combatants would be interesting. You’d have two fighters going in opposite directions heading into the fight. On one hand, Sean O’Malley would be looking to right the ship after dropping two contests in succession to Dvalishvili in flagship evets.
On the other hand, Aiemann Zahabi is becoming one of the household names at bantamweight in the UFC in rapid succession. Zahabi is now firmly inside the top-10 at 135 and this possible contest against Sean O’Malley can easily serve as the main event of a UFC Fight Night event on the UFC’s new United States streaming home, Paramount Plus.
The promotional material would easily write itself for the contest. A top contender on the rebound facing off against a surging adversary. UFC fans the world over would love to see this contest if and when it is to take place.
