Aiemann Zahabi isn’t lacking any confidence in his stand-up skills ahead of June 14, and believes the talk around him being outgunned might be a bit off the mark.
The Canadian bantamweight is preparing for what will be the biggest night of his career so far, set to fight on the undercard of a UFC event at the White House.
His run into this moment has been hard-earned, coming off seven straight wins, and now he faces former champion Sean O’Malley in Washington D.C., with a chance to move closer to his first title shot.
Despite that, Zahabi isn’t short on self-belief. In fact, he’s backing himself against anyone standing across from him these days.
Aiemann Zahabi calls out Sean O’Malley for his “Frankenstein” striking style
The ex-bantamweight champion has set a high bar for his second fight of 2026, aiming for more than just a win. He believes only a statement finish will put him back in the title mix.
O’Malley has even dismissed the idea of a decision victory, claiming that anything less than a knockout would be seen as a loss in the eyes of fans and matchmakers alike.
O’Malley is no stranger to theatrics, already outlining plans to salute President Donald Trump before delivering what he’s calling the “most legendary” knockout in UFC history. Zahabi believes that kind of confidence underestimates his abilities and says O’Malley is overlooking how unique his approach is.
“There are different ways of looking at striking,” Zahabi said during a recent interview with MMA Junkie. “I feel the way he looks at it is you either have to be a very clean, traditional striker, and I don’t think that’s what it takes to win fights.
“My striking is not traditional in the sense that I don’t look like a karate fighter. I don’t look like a kickboxer, and I don’t really look like a boxer, and I don’t look like a Muay Thai fighter. I have an amalgamation of them all.
“My style is more of a Frankenstein style,” he continued. “I take what I like from Muay Thai, I take what I like from boxing, I take what I like from taekwondo, karate, and I put it together and make it battle effective. It doesn’t have to look pretty, and it doesn’t have to fit in the mold for me, and I feel like that is where my advantage is.
“I’ve sparred a million guys like him, but he hasn’t sparred a million guys like me because nobody really has the same concoction of me in striking.”
His journey to this point hasn’t been without its tests. On his current winning streak, Zahabi has taken down Jose Aldo — regarded by many as one of MMA’s finest strikers — along with wins over Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz. That run has given him plenty of belief heading into June 14th.
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