rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Since the announcement the White House would host a UFC event on its South Lawn next summer, speculation and imagination about who would be featured on the fight card has been plentiful.
Most analysts agree the event should be headlined by an American. Although, UFC CEO Dana White recently stated that he’d like former two-division champion and the company’s biggest star Conor McGregor to headline the historic event.
Former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is American and recently said he’d ‘love’ to be part of the UFC White House event. “I would absolutely love to be on that card,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “I want to be on that card. I mean, being on the Sphere card, being on the White House card, these are legendary moments. They’re once in a lifetime f**king moments.”
O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, believes O’Malley is exactly the type of fighter UFC matchmakers are looking to book for such a high-profile event.
“The one thing that I think where the UFC will sit down and think about, ‘Okay, who’s some of our biggest stars?’ Sean is one of our biggest stars and he shows up,” Welch said on his YouTube channel.
“He’s been injured multiple times. He will show up, and he’ll fight. That’s what they want. They want guys that are going to show up they can rely on. I think there’s a good chance of getting on that one.”
Related: Daniel Cormier urges Dana White to put Jon Jones on UFC White House event
O’Malley expects to be back in action at the end of the year, or in early 2026, leaving a window open to compete at the White House. Depending on who wins between champion Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen on Oct. 4 in the UFC 320 co-main event, O’Malley could headline in a title fight against a newly crowned champion.
O’Malley has lost twice to Dvalishvili, and a win between now and the White House event won’t be enough to justify a trilogy fight. But if Sandhagen wins, a door could open for O’Malley if he’s able to win his next bout.
“I feel like they’re going to pick someone who they know is going to show up,” Welch said. “The ultimate would be, I envision, whatever fight we get next, go out there and win in a sweet fashion. Maybe Cory beats Merab, and then we get to fight for the belt on the White House.”
