Sean O'Malley shared his thoughts about the biggest topics in combat sports during his latest podcast with the MMA Guru — from Charles Oliveira's dominant UFC 326 performance to his own booking on the historic UFC Freedom 250 White House card, plus his candid reaction to Tom Aspinall signing with Eddie Hearn.
O'Malley Locked In for the White House
"Suga Sean" confirmed he'll be fighting on one of the most historic events in UFC history — UFC Freedom 250, set for June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., as part of America's 250th anniversary celebrations. O'Malley will face Canadian contender Aiemann Zahabi in a three-round bantamweight bout on the main card.montanasports+1
When asked about his inclusion, O'Malley didn't mince words:
I mean, is it a surprise to anybody? I had to be on that."
He sees it as a massive growth opportunity for his brand, noting that millions of fans who don't normally watch MMA will tune in simply because of the setting.
It's an opportunity for the Sugar brand to grow and have millions of people that might not have ever seen me fight — because they don't watch fighting — watch that night because it's at the White House. I'm very grateful that the UFC put me on the card. It's an opportunity to go out there, get a dub, beautiful performance, grow the brand — and it's going to be f***ing epic.
O'Malley is coming off a unanimous decision win over Song Yadong at UFC 324 in January, looking to string together a winning streak after back-to-back title losses to Merab Dvalishvili.
The Jones-Pereira Fight That Never Was
O'Malley also weighed in on a rumored fight that apparently fell through ahead of the White House card.
"It could have been a sneaky Jones-Pereira and they never ended up getting it done," O'Malley acknowledged, suggesting a potential Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira super-fight was discussed at some point before the card was finalized.
The main event of UFC Freedom 250 will instead feature Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification bout, alongside Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title.
Oliveira Grapples His Way to BMF Gold
Turning his attention to UFC 326, O'Malley shared his honest take on Charles Oliveira's dominant unanimous decision win over Max Holloway for the BMF title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Oliveira scored takedowns in all five rounds and won every round on all three scorecards (50-45 across the board) in what became a lopsided grappling clinic. O'Malley gave Holloway credit early:
Max looked so sharp the first 15, bro. When he was letting his hands go, jabbing high, jabbing low, twos straight — Charles Oliveira ate a couple shots, said, 'F**k this.'
But he was also quick to give Oliveira his flowers, pointing out that the BMF title on the line may have clouded public perception of the performance:
I think if it wasn't a BMF on the line, you would have just said, 'Oh my god, Oliveira just dominated Max Holloway. This is really impressive.' But I thought he looked good on the feet against Max.
O'Malley Baffled by Tom Aspinall's Eddie Hearn Move
Perhaps the most surprising topic of the podcast was UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall's decision to sign with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn's newly launched Matchroom Talent Agency. The deal is strictly commercial and advisory in nature — not promotional — as Aspinall remains under contract with the UFC.
Still, O'Malley was visibly confused: "Tom Aspinall signs with Eddie Hearn? What the f**k — sign with Eddie Hearn?" He added: "I thought Tom left the UFC and said peace out on boxing."
The move comes at a tense time, with Hearn and Dana White on opposing sides of the combat sports business landscape following White's launch of Zuffa Boxing. O'Malley didn't think it was necessarily the wisest play for Aspinall:
I don't know if that was a smart move. We will see. But that seems a little risky to me.
Aspinall has not competed since a no-contest against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in October due to an eye poke, with his return timeline still uncertain.