UFC Freedom 250: Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje continues with a fight between Sean O’Malley and Aiemann Zahabi in the bantamweight division on Sunday. Check out our UFC odds series for our O’Malley-Zahabi prediction and pick.
Sean O’Malley (19-3) rebounded from back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili by outclassing Song Yadong over three rounds, riding sharp footwork, volume, and precision boxing to a unanimous decision as he comes into his fight this weekend against Aiemann Zahabi.
Aiemann Zahabi (14-2) rides a six-fight winning streak, stacking decision wins over Pedro Munhoz, José Aldo, and Marlon Vera behind disciplined, low-error boxing and airtight defense, plus a first-round KO of Aoriqileng, as he comes into his fight this weekend against Sean O’Malley.
UFC Freedom 250 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Freedom 250 Odds: Sean O’Malley-Aiemann Zahabi Odds
Sean O’Malley: -440
Aiemann Zahabi: +340
Over 2.5 rounds: -200
Under 2.5 rounds: +154
Why Sean O’Malley Will Win
Sean O’Malley has multiple built-in advantages over Aiemann Zahabi, starting with youth, size, and offensive volume. He is the taller, longer man, averaging roughly 6 significant strikes landed per minute compared to Zahabi’s more measured output, and he’s already proven he can outpoint an elite pressure striker like Song Yadong over three rounds.
Stylistically, Zahabi’s game is built around tight defense, disciplined counters, and lower-variance decision wins, but that means he often cedes initiative and allows opponents to bank minutes if they can safely touch and move. O’Malley’s footwork, feints, and ability to attack all levels—from stabbing front kicks to sniping straight rights, are tailor-made to win those “who’s doing more” exchanges judges love.
Zahabi’s durability and composure are real, yet he doesn’t bring the same level of sustained wrestling threat that historically troubled O’Malley against Merab Dvalishvili. That keeps this fight largely in open space, where “Suga” thrives at dictating range, drawing out counters, and punishing misses with fast three-piece combinations.
If O’Malley stays disciplined, avoids overcommitting on walk-off shots, and accepts a high-paced, technical sparring match instead of a brawl, he should be the one landing more often, from safer positions, en route to a clear decision or late attritional stoppage
Why Aiemann Zahabi Will Win
Aiemann Zahabi has the tools to turn Sean O’Malley’s style against him by weaponizing discipline, defense, and counters over chaos. With a 14-2 record, 69 percent significant-strike defense, and a six-fight winning streak, he’s built to punish opponents who hunt big moments rather than bank clean rounds.
O’Malley’s biggest flaw, highlighted in the Merab loss and by peers like Cory Sandhagen, is his tendency to chase walk-off knockouts and single perfect shots instead of consistent output when things get tough. Zahabi thrives exactly there: keeping his guard tight, staying behind fundamentals, and clipping overeager entries with sharp counters and low kicks that chip away at balance and confidence.
If Zahabi can drag this into a “quiet” fight—lots of feints, jabs, and small edges—he can blunt O’Malley’s rhythm and make judges ask who’s actually landing the cleaner work rather than who’s flashing flair. Sean’s length advantage is real, but Zahabi has already outboxed longer, younger opponents and carries enough power to make O’Malley think twice about stepping in behind naked kicks.
In a three-rounder, Zahabi doesn’t need a finish; he just needs to keep his shape, win the majority of exchanges, and capitalize any time Sean overextends, grinding out a disciplined upset on the cards.
Final Sean O’Malley-Aiemann Zahabi Prediction & Pick
Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi shapes up as a high-level, low-error striking match where range and initiative should decide things. O’Malley’s height, reach, and volume give him the clearer paths to banking rounds if he fights disciplined and accepts a technical fight over a viral finish hunt.
Zahabi’s durability, defense, and counter-punching will make him a tough nut to crack, especially early, and he’s absolutely live to steal momentum with well-timed counters or leg kicks if Sean gets lazy with exits. But over three rounds, O’Malley’s ability to mix feints, level changes, and multi-level attacks should create more visible scoring moments for judges.
I expect Zahabi to keep things competitive, especially in the first half of the fight, but gradually get outpaced as Sean finds his reads and starts layering combinations.
Sean O’Malley gets the win at UFC Freedom 250 via competitive decision, with Zahabi making him work for every clean look.
Final Sean O’Malley-Aiemann Zahabi Prediction & Pick: Sean O’Malley (-440), Over 2.5 Rounds (-200)
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