“Suga” Sean O’Malley picked up one of the sweetest wins of his career and did it on a grand stage.
The former bantamweight champion is a true showman in a sport brimming with them, and O’Malley showed out at the White House on Sunday night during UFC Freedom 250.
O’Malley knocked out Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi in the second round of their 135-pound contest.
The pro-America crowd erupted when O’Malley landed a flush left hand, then a follow-up right that put Zahabi away.
O’Malley celebrated with a salute to the many service members in attendance.
Get the skills to pay the bills
Skilled Trades College is where hands-on training meets real-world opportunity, helping students build in-demand skills and take the next step toward lasting careers in the trades.
Visit here to learn more
Montreal’s Zahabi entered the contest on a seven-fight winning streak that included a pair of hard-fought decision wins over past title challenger and O’Malley rival Marlon Vera and UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo.
The 38-year-old called out O’Malley after beating Vera in Vancouver in October, a win that bumped Zahabi to being the No. 6-ranked contender at bantamweight, while O’Malley is No. 3 and was coming off a decision win over Song Yadong in January.
Prior to that, O’Malley had lost back-to-back title fights to Merab Dvalishvili. 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.
O’Malley, 31, stated emphatically after beating Zahabi that he wants to face Yan next.
Zahabi was the lone Canadian to compete on the historic White House card and announced earlier in the week that he signed a new, six-fight contract with the UFC. He debuted in the sport in 2012 and is a longtime member of the Tristar Gym in Montreal. His older brother, famed trainer Firas Zahabi, and longtime teammate and friend, Georges St-Pierre, were in Zahabi’s corner on Sunday night in Washington, D.C.
1:16
