Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is over the moon to be a part of the promotion’s upcoming White House event.
The lineup for the gala event on June 14 was revealed during the broadcast of UFC 326 on Saturday, confirming that O’Malley (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) will face Canadian contender Aiemann Zahabi (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) as part of the card.
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the fight was announced, O’Malley explained that he actively pushed for a spot on the unprecedented event.
“I told (the) UFC, ‘I would love to fight at the White House. I will fight anybody at the White House. I will fight Ilia, I will fight Islam, I will fight Khabib,’” O’Malley said. “No, but for real, I said I want to fight on the White House card. Please let me fight on the White House card. I don't care who it is. I want to be on there.”
The event, which has been officially named “Freedom 250,” will take place on the White House grounds and represents one of the most unusual venues the UFC has ever attempted. According to O’Malley, fighters may even make their walkout from inside the White House itself.
“The White House, I think there's six fights on the White House card,” he said. “There's me plus 11 other people that get to make the walk from the Oval Office. That's what they're saying. You know, you walk from the Oval Office into the White House lawn.”
O’Malley also revealed that the details surrounding the event have been kept highly confidential, even among fighters competing on the card. He said he only learned about the matchup and event plans shortly before the public announcement.
“Crazy, how secret this card has been,” O’Malley said. “I knew about this literally only like a week ago. I don't know the main event. The fight's gonna be outside. Our family's gonna be able to come. They're saying how many millions of dollars they're spending on security alone.”
Despite the unique setting, O’Malley made it clear he views the fight as a major opportunity to work his way back into title contention in the bantamweight division.
“And go out there and beat the f*** out of this guy,” he said. “You know, I go out there and win this fight. I'm next in line for a title.”
