Aiemann Zahabi unfazed by O'Malley striking ahead of UFC White House

Aiemann Zahabi does not care much for Sean O'Malley's standup game and plans to prove it Sunday at UFC White House.

The Canadian bantamweight meets the former champion in Washington with an opportunity to extend his winning streak to eight and force his way into title contention. Zahabi told MMA Fighting's Mike Heck that O'Malley's striking reputation means little after he weathered Jose Aldo's offense in his last outing. "To me, Jose Aldo is the biggest, baddest, most dangerous striker in the division and I survived that," Zahabi said. "I'm not worried about Sean O'Malley's striking so much."

Zahabi embraces underdog status against O'Malley

Ranked eighth in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings at 135 pounds, Zahabi enters as a significant underdog on FanDuel at roughly 3-to-1. He acknowledged the skepticism but said he has climbed steeper odds before. The press conference dynamic surprised him — reporters directed questions his way while O'Malley mostly sat quiet. Zahabi called it cool that fans could finally understand his perspective.

He admitted his appeal takes time to develop compared to O'Malley's immediate brand, describing himself as an acquired taste who does not fit a specific mold. Zahabi said he spent years with blinders on, building substance as a fighter before committing to social media. Now he feels ready to push his profile alongside his winning streak, which includes victories over Marlon Vera and Aldo.

When asked about sharing underdog billing with Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler on the card, Zahabi offered a straightforward take. "Anything worth having is an uphill battle," he said. "Me and Justin Gaethje both have uphill battles, but it doesn't mean you can count us out." UFC White House takes place Sunday in the nation's capital.

Photo: MM-eh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Aiemann Zahabi ‘not worried’ about Sean O’Malley’s striking, welcomes standup duel at UFC White House | MMA Fighting