Sean O’Malley is beginning to sweat his spot on the most anticipated fight card of the decade. The former bantamweight champion took to his YouTube channel to share a legitimate concern that he might be left on the sidelines for the UFC’s historic visit to the White House on June 14.
His anxiety stems from comments made by UFC CEO Dana White following Zuffa Boxing 3 this past Sunday, where the promoter revealed that matchmaking for the event has already commenced. Despite O’Malley being one of the sport’s biggest draws, his phone has remained silent.
“They said they were starting the White House card last week, Tuesday matchmaking,” O’Malley told his subscribers. “They said they were starting it. I haven’t got a call, I haven’t got a jingle, haven’t heard anything.”
The realization that the movers and shakers of the company are finalizing the lineup without him has hit “Suga” hard. “The ol’ ‘Suga Show’ might not be on the White House,” he held onto a sliver of hope, given the event is still four months away.
The conversation naturally drifted toward who will be headlining the event if O’Malley isn’t involved. With heavyweight championTom Aspinall officially sidelined after undergoing double eye surgery to repair damage from a poke by Ciryl Gane, the door is open for a new main event.
Rumors have picked up regarding a potential interim heavyweight title fight between light heavyweight king Alex Pereira and Gane. O’Malley, however, was less than thrilled by the prospect.
“Pereira vs. Gane, I feel like that would be a little bit of a disappointment,” O’Malley admitted. “But they would call it the interim belt, triple champ. I mean, there’s something they could do with that.”
Aspinall’s injury situation has created a domino effect at the top of the card. The British champion recently revealed the severity of his condition, noting that he sees a “black spot” constantly and gets dizzy when attempting footwork drills. This indefinitely stalls the undisputed title picture, making the interim solution with Pereira—who would be attempting to become the first three-division champion in UFC history—a pivot for the promotion to save the South Lawn spectacle.
