On Sunday evening, the UFC held its “UFC Freedom 250” event on the White House lawn, with President Donald Trump in attendance. Among the several exciting finishes of the night was Sean O’Malley’s knockout victory over Aiemann Zahabi, in which O’Malley walked off following his finishing punch, as has become a signature throughout his career.
Recently, O’Malley stopped by ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show to discuss his frame of mind during the unusual event.
“There was definitely more pressure going into this fight, just the fact that I knew I was such a massive favorite, and I’m fighting a Canadian at the White House. If I lose this, I’m embarrassed. I can’t fight again. I cannot walk out to another fight if I lose this fight, and I put a lot of pressure on myself for that. Walking out at the White House, it felt like a movie. The UFC production killed it. Dana (White’s) a gangster for putting this together,” he said, per Pat McAfee on X, formerly Twitter.
Fans hoping for some fireworks at the UFC’s event in Washington DC certainly got what they paid for, as every fight of the night ended in a stoppage, none more impressive than O’Malley’s, who has gotten back on the winning track in his career after a brief setback.
Dana White has since indicated that he doesn’t have any future plans to hold more events at the White House, but it was certainly a surreal sight to see the octagon with arguably the nation’s most famous building looming in the background.
O’Malley and others made sure those in attendance had plenty to cheer about.
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