Aiemann Zahabi inks new UFC contract days before White House fight

June 10, 2026 - 1:51pm

Canadian bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi joins Sportsnet's Aaron Bronsteter and discusses acclimating himself to Washington D.C for his UFC Freedom 250 bout against Sean O'Malley, and what his training camp was like.

Aiemann Zahabi is having quite the week.

Not only is the Montreal native the lone Canadian athlete set to compete on Sunday’s anticipated UFC Freedom 250 event located at the White House, but Zahabi also signed a new contract.

“I want to say thanks to the UFC for the new contract,” Zahabi confirmed when signing posters and other promotional items as part of his pre-fight obligations. “Just signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC for this fight. I’m very happy with it and I’m excited to perform on Sunday.”

Zahabi is in Washington, D.C., for his featured bantamweight matchup against former 135-pound champion Sean O’Malley.

The 38-year-old has won seven in a row entering this bout, including a pair of hard-fought decision wins over past title challenger Marlon Vera and UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo during his perfect 2025 campaign.

Zahabi had previously called out O’Malley after beating Vera in Vancouver in October, and the UFC decided to go that direction.

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O’Malley, 31, lost back-to-back title fights to Merab Dvalishvili prior to returning to the win column in January by defeating Song Yadong via decision at UFC 324. The longtime member of The MMA Lab in Glendale, Ariz., knocked out Aljamain Sterling in 2023 to become bantamweight champ and holds a 2022 split decision victory over current titleholder Petr Yan. O’Malley is the No. 3-ranked contender heading into UFC Freedom 250.

Zahabi has risen to No. 6 in the division and is 14-2 overall in MMA since debuting in the sport in 2012. He is a member of the Tristar Gym in Montreal, a longtime teammate of Canadian legend Georges St-Pierre and is the younger brother of famed trainer Firas Zahabi.

Five of Zahabi’s seven wins on his current streak have been via decision.

Zahabi has been one of the top Canadian fighters on the UFC roster this decade. He is one of four Canadians who are currently ranked contenders in the UFC, along with Mike Malott, Jasmine Jasudavicius and Gillian Robertson.

“Canada lost to the U.S. in the finals of the Olympics (hockey). I gotta get one back for Canada,” Zahabi told Sportsnet earlier this year when speaking about his bout with O’Malley. “I’m gonna go to their home soil, and I’m going to do it at the White House. I feel like I could really put the country on my back with a victory here on June 14.”