Aiemann Zahabi says he’s ready for the spotlight as he prepares to face Sean O'Malley at UFC Freedom 250, set for Sunday at the White House.
Zahabi enters the matchup with a 14-2 professional MMA record and an 8-2 mark in the UFC, riding a seven-fight winning streak that includes recent victories over Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera. O'Malley comes in at 19-3 in MMA and 11-3 in the UFC.
"I feel like it's part of it all. It's partly about getting my name out there," Zahabi said, reflecting on his rise. "I won my seven fights kind of quiet in the background. I didn't get much media attention. I've been telling everybody I felt like Clubber Lang, doing my work in the background, winning my fights, and nobody knows about me and, 'Boom!' All of a sudden I'm here, I'm at the White House, and everyone's like, 'Who is this guy? What is he doing here?'"
Zahabi has already shared the cage with Aldo and Vera and calls O'Malley "a different type of striking problem." He praised Aldo and Vera’s power, saying, "I feel like Aldo was the boogeyman. He's the fastest striker I've ever faced... 'Chito' has crazy power also. He has the most knockdowns in bantamweight UFC history."
Comparing that to O'Malley, Zahabi added, "Sean, I don't think his power is based on like one-shot kill power... He has more like timing and counter striking... He's fast, but I don't think he's as fast as Aldo. He doesn't have the blinding speed, but he has good footwork."
