"Sugar" Sean O'Malley recounts his epic walk-off TKO at UFC Freedom 250 against Aiemann Zahabi

Sean O'Malley has shed light on his spectacular stoppage victory over veteran MMA coach Firas Zahabi's younger brother, Aiemann Zahabi, at the UFC White House event.

It marked Aiemann's first MMA loss since 2019 and ended his seven-fight win streak. America's O'Malley and Canada's Zahabi clashed in a bantamweight matchup in the star-studded UFC Freedom 250 event, which transpired at the White House on June 14. 

"Sugar" ended up defeating Zahabi via TKO in the second round of their three-round matchup. O'Malley did so in style, as he didn't follow up with ground strikes -- dropping his already-dazed opponent and walking off with salutes. 

"Sugar" Sean O'Malley talks walk-off TKO and salute sequence against Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250

During an interview with Caroline Pearce of TNT Fight Sports, Sean O'Malley addressed his win over Aiemann Zahabi.

An allusion was made to his pre-fight assertions, wherein he'd spoken about wanting a knockout victory because he hadn't gotten one since his bantamweight title-winning TKO of Aljamain Sterling in 2023. 

The former UFC bantamweight champion explained that although he was eager for a knockout win, he wasn't going to chase it and would instead make it materialize organically. O'Malley stated: 

"I just needed it. I needed a finish. And I knew they thought that I was gonna come in maybe a little bit, kind of like forcing the finish. But when I said I needed a finish, doesn't mean I'm gonna go out there and..." 

Furthermore, O'Malley indicated that he didn't even need the entire 15 minutes to secure the finish. The American MMA star said: 

"I'm still gonna fight sharp, still be sharp, and do what I needed to do. I knew the finish was -- I knew I was gonna knock him out before I got in there. And right when I got in there, I felt him move around. I was like, okay, it's a matter of time." 

Additionally, O'Malley spoke about how he'd visualized the finish. He even managed to pull off a few salutes as a part of the walk-off knockout, he suggested that the entire experience at the event was simply "amazing." 

 

Watch Sean O'Malley discuss his walk-off knockout win at UFC Freedom 250 below: 

Sean O'Malley eyes championship gold after UFC White House win

Sean O'Malley also touched upon his potential next move after UFC Freedom 250. Speaking to Caroline Pearce, he appeared to acknowledge that the trilogy fight between reigning bantamweight champ Petr Yan and former champion Merab Dvalishvili is likely next. 

It's noteworthy that Dvalishvili boasts not one but two wins over O'Malley. "The Machine" first bested him via unanimous decision back in 2024, ending his bantamweight title reign. Their rematch saw Dvalishvili beat O'Malley via submission and defend the 135-pound belt. 

Nevertheless, O'Malley beat Yan via split decision in 2022. And the Yan-Dvalishvili fight series is tied at one apiece. "Sugar" has now signaled that he's pursuing the title and could face the winner of the Yan-Dvalishvili trilogy fight.