Sean O'Malley Talks Preferred White House Foe in Good Day LA Appearance

Sean O'Malley (19-3, 1 NC MMA, 11-3, 1 NC UFC) mentioned earlier on in the year that he was considering retiring from active competition later in 2026. Before he hangs up his gloves for good, he'll be headed to the nation's capital in about a month.

On June 14, the UFC will present its first event happening on a Sunday night since February of 2019 in Arizona, but this event is part of the ongoing Freedom 250 celebrations commemorating the 250th birthday of the United States of America. In this one-off event, The White House grounds will serve as the setting of UFC Freedom 250.

A seven-fight card is happening that second weekend of June, including Sean O'Malley's return to competition. Prior to UFC Freedom 250 going on next month, O'Malley made his first walk to the Octagon in 2026 on the first card of the year.

Sean O'Malley Secures Unanimous Decision Win on Jan. 24

This past January, he fought on UFC 324 in the co-main event. Song Yadong (22-9-1, 1 NC MMA, 11-4-1 UFC.) The fight went the advertised three rounds at five minutes per round and The Suga Show put on another successful performance inside the fabled Octagon.

After 15 minutes of action, Sean O'Malley scored the victory on the scorecards by way of unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28.) Statistically speaking that Saturday night, the victor was outpaced by his opponent in terms of total strikes by a narrow 69-67 margin, but bested him in significant strikes at 48-36.

On March 7, during UFC 326's main card, UFC CEO Dana White officially announced the bouts on the card, initially revealed to be six but was changed to seven a month later at the request of United States President Donald Trump, who asked that heavyweight Josh Hokit be placed on the show versus Derrick Lewis after he bested Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327.

Sean O'Malley Fights Aiemann Zahabi During UFC Freedom 250

When the original slate of six fights was revealed on March 7, Sean O'Malley was booked to square off against Aiemann Zahabi (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC.) This bantamweight showdown will be one for bragging rights in North America.

Heading into UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, Sean O'Malley currently stakes claim to the No. 2 ranking at 135, while Aiemann Zahabi sits at No. 6 in the division. While O'Malley is pleased to be fighting at The White House, it's not who he hoped to be fighting next month.

Sean O'Malley Dishes on Opponent He'd Liked to Have Fought During Good Day LA Appearance

Recently, Sean O'Malley made the rounds on the talk show circuit to promote the upcoming fight. His latest wave of press activity included a stopover in Los Angeles and an appearance on FOX-owned-and-operated affiliate KTTV-11 and its morning show Good Day LA.

During the interview, he mentioned that he was hopeful for a rematch for the UFC Bantamweight Championship against Petr Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC.) In October of 2022, the two fought in a three-round affair during UFC 280.

That night, O'Malley scored a unanimous decision after three rounds.

"I beat him last time, so I guess he didn't want to fight this time," O'Malley began. "That would have been a big fight."

Sean O'Malley on White House Tussle with Aiemann Zahabi

With Petr Yan out of the picture for UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, O'Malley discussed his upcoming opponent in Washington, DC

"He's on a seven-fight win streak," he said of Zahabi. "He's from Canada, a Canadian fellow, so it's kind of like America vs. Canada-ish if you're looking at it that way. Very tough, very durable, very experienced."

The No. 2 contender is looking forward to a thrilling 15 minutes or less of action that June Sunday night.

"He's going to be more of a kickboxer-style," O'Malley mentioned. "It's going to be a very exciting, very electric kickboxing fight with little gloves on."