Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley believes his upcoming matchup against Aiemann Zahabi deserves to be viewed as one of the marquee attractions at UFC’s historic “Freedom 250” event on June 14.
O’Malley (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) is scheduled to face the No. 6-ranked bantamweight contender as part of the highly anticipated White House card, an event already stacked with championship fights and major names across multiple divisions.
Much of the attention surrounding the card has focused on the lightweight title unification bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje in the main event, along with the heavyweight interim title clash between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane in the official co-main event slot.
Despite that lineup, O’Malley argued that his fight with Zahabi (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) still carries major significance, particularly in the UFC bantamweight title picture.
Speaking during an interview with MMA Guru this week, O’Malley made it clear that he views his fight as effectively sharing co-main event status on the card.
“I mean, I'm basically in the co-main (event), you know what I mean?” O’Malley said. “They're both main events. Let's be real. Let's just call it what it is.”
O’Malley also suggested his star power and the importance of the matchup justify placing his bout alongside the card’s headline attractions.
“I don't need to keep getting bucked down,” O’Malley said. “I'm the co-main. Let's just call it as it is. Nothing wrong with that. Stats are stats. You know what I mean?”
The fight marks a pivotal moment for O’Malley as he looks to work his way back into title contention at 135 pounds following the end of his championship reign. Meanwhile, Zahabi has the opportunity to score the biggest win of his UFC career and vault himself into the upper tier of the bantamweight division.
