Sean O’Malley is well aware that his fight at the White House could be affected by weather conditions, but he isn’t letting that affect his preparation.
Former UFC bantamweight champ O’Malley (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) meets Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, filling out the card at the most unique venue in MMA history. The fights will take place on the South Lawn of the White House, putting the octagon outdoors and introducing an unknown variable.
UFC’s longtime commentator Joe Rogan recently expressed concerns about not only the weather conditions, but the weather being a factor in championship-level fights, of which there are two on the card. O’Malley vs. Zahabi (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) isn’t for a title, but it is a significant contender fight in which the winner’s next fight could be for the division’s championship.
“I just don’t think you should compete in a world championship fight in a non-controlled environment,” Rogan said on the “JRE MMA Show.” “It should be inside an air-conditioned arena. … Imagine if someone loses a fight because it’s too hot outside.”
O’Malley was asked by MMA Junkie if he is worried about the elements being a factor in his fight, and in typical fighter fashion, he’s simply prepared to roll with the punches.
“It’s at the White House, so you gotta deal with whatever you gotta deal with,” O’Malley told MMA Junkie. “That would suck to lose because of a reason outside of your skillset. May the best man win. If something plays a role because it’s outside and it affects the fight somehow, that would suck.
“It’s unfortunate, but none of us signed the contract thinking it was inside, you know what I mean? We all know it’s outside. We all know what we’re getting into. Maybe not to an extent, we don’t know what all is gonna happen, but we all know it’s gonna be outside and we’re gonna have to possibly deal with stuff. We all signed it.”
According to The Weather Channel’s current projected forecast, the temperature on fight night day will range from 67-85 degrees. At the time of writing, the precipitation forecast is unavailable; however, thunderstorms are common in the Washington DC area during the summer months.
As long as the conditions are tolerable, O’Malley will simply be focused on beating Zahabi by implementing his game, as he eyes another bantamweight title opportunity with a win.
“If the weather’s not crazy, it’s gonna come down to who’s better,” O’Malley said. “Who’s more skilled, who’s more prepared, and I think that’s what it’s gonna come down to with all these fights. So, I’m not too worried about all these weather conditions, and we’re gonna have to adapt to it if it is messed up weather.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean O’Malley addresses weather concerns for UFC Freedom 250
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