By The Canadian Press

Canadian bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi to face former champion on UFC White House card

Mar 8, 2026 | 3:10 PM

Canadian Aiemann Zahabi will face former bantamweight champion (Suga) Sean O’Malley on the UFC’s White House card June 14.

Zahabi (14-2-0) is currently ranked sixth among 135-pound contenders. The 38-year-old from Montreal has won seven straight after going 1-2-0 in his first three UFC outings.

O’Malley (19-3-0 with one no contest) is ranked third among bantamweights. The 31-year-old defeated fellow American Aljamain (Funk Master) Sterling to win the crown at UFC 292 in August 2023 and defended the title against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March 2024 before losing back-to-back championship bouts to Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili.

The June 14 card, billed as UFC Freedom 250, will be held on the White House’s South Lawn.

President Donald Trump is a UFC fan and is no stranger to the MMA promotion’s shows. UFC president Dana White is also a friend who Trump had introduce him at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

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Zahabi has already taken down one former champion, winning a decision over UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo at UFC 315 last May in Montreal. The Brazilian retired for a second time after the loss.

Zahabi will have older brother Firas Zahabi in his corner. Canadian Georges St-Pierre, who won two UFC titles with Firas as his trainer, was also in his corner for the Aldo bout.

The main event at the White House is a lightweight title unification bout between Spanish champion Ilia (El Matador) Topuria and interim titleholder Justin (The Highlight) Gaethje of the U.S.

Light-heavyweight champion Alex (Poatan) Pereira of Brazil looks to add to his trophy case when he takes on No. 1 contender Ciryl Gane of France for the interim heavyweight crown. American (Iron) Michael Chandler, ranked 13th among lightweight contenders, meets No. 9 Mauricio Ruffy of Brazil.

American Bo Nickal takes on Kyle (The D’Arce Knight) Daukaus in an all-American middleweight bout while Brazil’s Diego Lopes, ranked second among featherweights, faces No. 9 Steve (Mean Machine) Garcia of the U.S.

Zahabi, the youngest of four brothers, started martial arts at five with karate. He was studying accounting at McGill, after taking commerce at CEGEP, before he took up MMA full time.

Away from the gym, he owns a small brokerage firm managing a couple of trucks that usually transport fruit and vegetables.

He worked on his mental game after a KO loss to Brazil’s Ricardo Ramos at UFC 217 in November 2017.

“The Ramos fight kind of took my confidence and my chin away a little bit,” he said. “The fear was eating me up.”

A book called “The Tools” set him back on the right path. The book contained the mantra — “I love the pain. The pain will set me free.” Zahabi changed it to “I love the fear. The fear will set me free.”

He has gone 7-1-0 since.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2026.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press