UFC star Aiemann Zahabi was unaware of White House fight vs. Sean O’Malley until Dana White’s live announcement

UFC bantamweight contender Aiemann Zahabi found out about his upcoming fight vs. Sean O’Malley as fans and pundits did.

One of the biggest fights of the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House features two of the bantamweight division’s top contenders: former champion Sean O’Malley and streaking star Aiemann Zahabi. The winner could potentially be in the mix for another bantamweight title shot against either Petr Yan or Merab Dvalishvili.

It’s easily the biggest fight of Zahabi’s career after recent wins over Marlon Vera, Jose Aldo, and others in the stacked bantamweight title mix. O’Malley presents a tough test on the feet as Zahabi looks to kick off a new era in the division.

UFC CEO Dana White and the matchmakers kept the full White House fight lineup a secret for weeks, after putting the card together over the last month. The UFC head announced the six-fight lineup during the UFC 326 broadcast to mixed reactions from fans.

According to Zahabi, the UFC matchmakers kept him out of the loop until White’s breaking news announcement.

Aiemann Zahabi: UFC kept White House fight secret up until live announcement

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Zahabi revealed the unusual way he found out about the biggest fight of his career.

“When they didn’t confirm, I knew they were going to go with me or Cory [Sandhagen]…Saturday night, my wife, daughters, and I were sitting down watching, and we found out like everybody else,” Zahabi said.

“We had a really nice moment. I didn’t know 100 percent beforehand, so it was a nice moment…the secrecy made it special, right? We all found out at the same time. I said ‘Yes’ but didn’t know if it was 100 percent certain.”

O’Malley was linked to a potential fight with former title challenger Cory Sandhagen before fight talks stalled in recent weeks. Sandhagen hasn’t fought since a loss to Dvalishvili at UFC 320 last year.

Meanwhile, Zahabi has the chance to earn a bantamweight title shot with a fight over O’Malley. It sounds like Zahabi and his family were able to have a memorable moment together months before he makes his walk to the Octagon on the White House lawn.

UFC Freedom 250 is headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje and features an interim heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.

What’s your prediction for Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi? Let us know in the comments!