Sean O’Malley left the UFC White House event with a knockout win but no performance bonus, and he’s making it clear he’s not happy about it.
O’Malley scored a KO over Aiemann Zahabi at the event, yet the UFC’s performance money went elsewhere. Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria was awarded Fight of the Night, while Gaethje and Ciryl Gane received performance bonuses.
“Dude, Gaethje getting a double bonus? I thought for sure I was getting a bonus,” O’Malley said. “I was so confident.”
According to O’Malley, missing out on the bonuses cost him $425,000 in total, including $100,000 in U.S. dollars and $325,000 in crypto. Reflecting on the aftermath, he added, “Then we did a f--king pointless press conference where I didn’t get a bonus and it was f--king ridiculous.”
O’Malley has said he believes he has earned a bantamweight title shot. The UFC, meanwhile, has plans for a Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili rematch sometime near the end of 2026. O’Malley has previously fought Dvalishvili twice.
