There will be some Canadian representation in Washington, D.C., this June when the UFC touches down on the South Lawn of the White House.
Streaking UFC bantamweight contender and occasional Sportsnet analyst Aiemann Zahabi is scheduled to face former 135-pound champion Sean O'Malley in one of six matchups announced for the historic event.
The anticipated lineup for the White House card — officially titled “UFC Freedom 250” to commemorate 250 years of American independence — was officially unveiled Saturday night during UFC 326, and Canada's Zahabi found himself listed in the third fight from the top of the billing, going up against one of the most popular American stars in mixed martial arts.
“I feel like they were very ‘hush hush’ about this card, so they called on Wednesday asking if I would be interested in fighting Sean O’Malley at the White House,” Zahabi explained in an interview with Sportsnet’s Jesse Fuchs. “So I said, ‘Yes, of course I’m interested.’ It’s a huge opportunity. … It’s also a title eliminator, so it’s fantastic news for me, but I wasn’t sure if it was official because they said they have a couple options for the card.
“They were keeping everyone guessing, so I literally found out (Saturday night) while watching (UFC 326). I was watching with my daughters and my wife and we celebrated, so I’m really on a high still from that.”
Zahabi has won seven fights in a row, including a pair of hard-fought decision wins over Marlon Vera and Hall of Famer Jose Aldo during his perfect 2025 campaign.
The 38-year-old from Montreal had previously called out O’Malley after beating Vera in Vancouver last October. Zahabi has risen to the No. 6-ranked contender at bantamweight, while O’Malley is third and coming off a decision win over Song Yadong in January.
O’Malley, 31, had lost back-to-back title fights to Merab Dvalishvili before his January win. The longtime member of The MMA Lab in Glendale, Ari., knocked out Aljamain Sterling in 2023 to become bantamweight champ and holds a 2022 split decision victory over current titleholder Petr Yan.
Zahabi is 14-2 overall as a professional since his 2012 debut into the sport. He is a member of the Tristar Gym in Montreal, a longtime teammate of Georges St-Pierre and is the younger brother of famed trainer Firas Zahabi.
He is the lone Canadian scheduled to compete at the White House, and Zahabi is taking pride in that.
“Canada lost to the U.S. in the (men's and women's hockey) finals of the Olympics. I gotta get one back for Canada,” Zahabi added. “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.”
A lightweight title unification matchup between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, plus an interim heavyweight title bout between Alex Pereira and Cyril Gane, are the featured matchups on the card.
