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Sean O'Malley wanted to rematch Petr Yan at UFC White House but was instead matched with Aiemann Zahabi. O'Malley claims Yan's team declined the fight after O'Malley's previous victory over him.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 20: (L-R) Opponents Petr Yan of Russia and Sean O'Malley face off during the UFC 280 press conference at Etihad Arena on October 20, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Sean OâMalley is excited to be fighting at UFC White House, but Aiemann Zahabi wasnât his first option.
Coming off of a much-needed win over Song Yadong this past January, OâMalley kept himself in the thick of the bantamweight title picture, especially with rival Merab Dvalishvilliâwho holds two wins over OâMalleyâhaving recently dropped the belt to Petr Yan. For OâMalley, who beat Yan in a close fight at UFC 280, it made sense for the two of them to rematch with a championship on the line, but OâMalley was instead called upon to face Zahabi on June 14, while Yan remains unbooked.
According to OâMalley, it was more Yanâs side that didnât want to run it back.
âI was supposed to fight Petr Yan, the champ, the little Russian, but I beat him last time so he didnât want to fight this time,â OâMalley told FOX 11 Los Angeles. âThat would have been a big fight. Iâm fighting a guy named Aiemann Zahabi, heâs on a seven-fight win streak, heâs from Canada, a Canadian fella, so itâs kind of America vs. Canada-ish if youâre looking at it that way, which is kind of exciting.
âVery tough, very durable, very experienced. Very tough fight. An exciting challenge, heâs going to be more of a kickboxer style so itâs going to be a very exciting, electric kickboxing fight with little gloves on.â
Regardless of whether it was Yan or Zahabi, OâMalley will enjoy a home field advantage of sorts when he makes his walk at the White House. The Montana nativeâs past three opponents have all come from outside the United States and while OâMalley doesnât want to lean too far into the U.S. against the world angle, he sees the storyline potential with Canadaâs Zahabi.
Sean O'Malley wanted to fight Petr Yan at UFC White House because he had previously beaten Yan at UFC 280 and believed a rematch would be fitting with a championship on the line.
Sean O'Malley is fighting Aiemann Zahabi on June 14 instead of Petr Yan.
Sean O'Malley won a close fight against Petr Yan at UFC 280.
Petr Yan's team reportedly declined the rematch with Sean O'Malley, leading to O'Malley being matched with Aiemann Zahabi.

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âIâm not a very political person, I would say pretty much not at all,â OâMalley said in a separate interview with Against The Cage. âFor me, it doesnât matter who Iâm fighting, but it is America vs. Canada, thereâs a little bit of that to it. This is just man vs. man. Weâre going to get locked in the doors and see who quits, see who breaks, see who gets knocked out first, thatâs what it is every fight for me.
âBut it is fun, thereâs a little bit of the America-Canada thing, so it adds to it a little bit. Team vs. team, people like to pick teams, so thereâs that aspect to it, but for me itâs just human vs. human.â
The win over Song snapped a two-fight skid for OâMalley, with both of those losses coming in title fights against Dvalishvili. Until Yanâs next title defense is booked, itâs unclear which challenger will be chosen from the contender line, but the popular OâMalley hopes that a strong showing at UFC White House puts him where he wants to be.
âWho knows, maybe if I would have went out there and finished Song in spectacular fashion I would have got the Petr fight,â OâMalley said. âI donât know. The UFC does what they do and all I can do is go out there and fight and put on performances, so if I go out there and get a beautiful performance, I donât see how Iâm not next for the title. If it is Merab-Petr next and Merab wins, weâll see how that plays out.â