Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O'Malley looked vintage in front of President Donald Trump, needing 4:02 of the second round with a TKO over Aiemann Zahabi to keep the card's KO/TKO streak alive at five.
O'Malley added to the red corner spree, becoming the first fighter since November 2017 to knockout Zahabi and extended his winning streak to two. O'Malley, who dropped consecutive fights to Merab Dvalishvili and relinquished his title in the process, now has his footing underneath him.
Sean O'Malley Stays Dominant At 135 Pounds
Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., UNITED STATES; Sean O'Malley celebrates after a win against Aiemann Zahabi (not pictured) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
The TKO-stoppage from O'Malley now has over a half-million views and was an exact carbon copy of other viral knockouts from earlier in his career, including Aljamain Sterling and Eddie Wineland, to name a few.
Even though Dvalishvili is linked to a trilogy fight with Petr Yan later this year, O'Malley is continuing to shoot for Petr Yan in a would-be rematch.
“Petr Yan! It should have been him here tonight," O'Malley said. "I don’t know why he didn’t show up."
Despite the leg kicks from Zahabi, they weren't enough to dethrone O'Malley's relentless striking ability, as he kept switching stances before finding an opening that changed the entire complexion of the fight.
What's Next For Sean O'Malley?
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] U.S. President Donald Trump greets fighter Sean O'Malley during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2026. Mandatory Credit: Evan Vucci/Reuters via Imagn Images | Evan Vucci/Reuters via Imagn Images
O'Malley burst onto the scene in 2017 with a Dana White Contender Series contract win, which led him to run through the bantamweight division en route to a title shot. Despite O'Malley's short-lived run as champion, he did dispatch Marlon Vera in a dominant decision win in Miami, FL., in March 2024, in one of the most dominant wins of his career to date.
Even though O'Malley took care of business, he put the bantamweight division in a logjam as he awaits whether Yan and Dvalishvili will return to full strength.
If not, O'Malley may have just bought himself time to regain his form as one of the best bantamweights in the world. O'Malley was one of the UFC's most active fighters in recent years, but as he has prioritized his longevity, an argument could be made that he's a better version of himself now than in the past.
Should he remain on this trajectory, anything is possible. Bantamweight is stacked. O'Malley is on the cusp of returning to greatness once again. Whether he does, though, is largely contingent on his next move. But, the argument that his decline had begun is the furthest from true, as O'Malley returned to championship form while stopping Zahabi's seven-fight winning streak.
And the chaos continues.
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