Helena's Sean O'Malley scores White House TKO, calls for UFC title shot

Sean O'Malley made the most of one of the biggest stages in UFC history Saturday night.

The Helena native stopped No. 6 ranked bantamweight contender Aiemann Zahabi (14-3) by TKO at 4:02 of the second round at UFC Freedom 250, held on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.

O'Malley entered the fight ranked No. 3 in the UFC's bantamweight division and improved to 20-3 (1 NC).

The atmosphere felt unlike a typical UFC event from the moment the fighters made their walkouts.

Zahabi entered to a mix of "O Canada" and Drake's "Started From the Bottom" and was met with boos from the crowd. O'Malley received a loud ovation as the U.S. Marine Corps Band played signature walkout song, Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar," during his walk to the Octagon.

Chants of "USA! USA!" echoed through the crowd before the opening bell, and "O'Malley! O'Malley!" chants broke out less than a minute into the fight.

The opening round was largely a tactical affair. Both fighters spent much of the frame gauging distance and timing, with O'Malley finding success late in the round when he landed a clean left hand.

He finished the opening five minutes with a slight edge in volume, landing 14 of 36 strikes compared to 10 of 16 for Zahabi.

Zahabi's game plan became apparent early. The Canadian contender repeatedly attacked O'Malley's lead leg, landing 26 of 31 leg kicks. A noticeable welt formed on O'Malley's left leg as Zahabi continued to chip away with kicks.

O'Malley, meanwhile, found a home for his jab and began landing the cleaner punches upstairs. He opened a cut on Zahabi's face in the second round and appeared to be finding his rhythm at range.

Then came the finish.

With just under a minute remaining in the second round, O'Malley landed a straight left hand and followed it up with strikes that sent Zahabi crashing to the canvas. As Zahabi fell, O'Malley delivered a salute to the crowd.

Afterward, O'Malley celebrated by exchanging words with President Donald Trump cage side before unleashing a primal scream toward the crowd.

"It's hard to put into words," O'Malley said in his post-fight interview on Paramount+. "Manifestation is a real thing, I've seen this before. It's wild what your mind can do when you use it."

The victory moves O'Malley one step closer to another UFC title opportunity after a turbulent stretch that saw him lose the bantamweight championship to Merab Dvalishvili before dropping a rematch. He rebounded earlier this year with a unanimous decision victory over Song Yadong and now appears firmly back in the title picture.

O'Malley left little doubt about who he wants next.

"Petr Yan! Should have been him,” he screamed. "That's who I want next. I want Petr next."

O'Malley previously defeated Yan by split decision in 2022 in Abu Dhabi. With Saturday's emphatic finish on one of the sport's most historic stages, he may have earned the opportunity to do it again.

And as for his salute that accompanied the knockout?

"That was sexy," O'Malley said.