Aiemann Zahabi ‘not worried’ about Sean O’Malley’s striking, welcomes standup duel at UFC White House

Aiemann Zahabi is embracing the challenge of facing Sean O'Malley at UFC White House on Sunday, confidently dismissing concerns about the former champion's striking and expressing satisfaction with the spotlight being shared at the prefight press conference.

The Canadian bantamweight, currently ranked No. 8 at 135 pounds, enters the bout on an eight-fight win streak highlighted by recent victories over Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo. Despite being a significant underdog—around 3-to-1 on FanDuel—Zahabi is relishing the opportunity to add O'Malley to his resume and potentially secure a title shot on arguably the biggest card of the year.

Zahabi stated his confidence plainly: "His striking doesn't scare me. To me, Jose Aldo is the biggest, baddest, most dangerous striker in the division and I survived that. I'm not worried about Sean O'Malley's striking so much." He also noted that being asked a question during the press conference while O'Malley sat mostly silent gave him a chance to introduce himself to the broader fanbase.

The fighter attributed his rising popularity to both in-cage success and increased social media engagement, describing himself as "an acquired taste" that requires audiences to invest time in understanding him beyond his fighting abilities. "People are going to have to find out who I am," Zahabi said, adding that he was now dedicating more effort to his public profile while maintaining his identity as a "complete fighter" of substance.

Heading into fight night at the White House with limited betting support, Zahabi invoked his history of winning difficult moments: "Anything worth having is an uphill battle. Me and Justin Gaethje both have uphill battles, but it doesn't mean you can count us out."