"I think they are trying to give Sean as much of a layup as they can give him. Shorter guy that will strike a little bit. [Zahabi] wrestles a little bit, but not the same level as Merab, who [O'Malley] just lost to twice. They're trying to get O'Malley a win. But I would have loved to see him and Cory go at it."
"O'Malley (19-3) won the bantamweight title against Aljamain Sterling in 2023 and defended it against Marlon Vera before falling against Dvalishvili in 2024. O'Malley failed to reclaim his title in a rematch against Dvalishvili last year."
"Zahabi (14-2) is on a seven-fight winning streak, with wins over the likes of Pedro Munhoz, Jose Aldo and Vera."
Chase Hooper expresses the belief that the UFC is providing Sean O'Malley with a favorable matchup against Aiemann Zahabi. Originally, O'Malley was expected to fight Cory Sandhagen, but he is now scheduled to face Zahabi on June 14. Hooper describes Zahabi as a shorter striker, suggesting that this matchup is advantageous for O'Malley. He contrasts Zahabi's wrestling skills with those of elite wrestlers like Merab Dvalishvili, who has previously defeated O'Malley. Hooper would have preferred a fight between O'Malley and Sandhagen instead.
Read at Sherdog
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