Sean O'Malley discusses challenges of outdoor fighting ahead of UFC White House

"

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 08: Sean O'Malley is seen on stage during the UFC Freedom 250 press conference at Prudential Center on May 08, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Expectations are extremely high for the upcoming UFC White House card on Sunday, but if there’s one major concern still looming overhead it’s the potential problems the weather could introduce for an outdoor event. UFC CEO Dana White has said numerous times that’s the biggest red flag surrounding the entire event, but he’s also stated that no weather condition outside of lightning would actually force the promotion to postpone or delay the fights. The current forecast in Washington, D.C., for June 14 has the temperature at 91 degrees and there’s around a 40 percent chance of rain and storms in the area. Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley doesn’t seem too bothered about the outdoor effect for the event because he’s been there, done that during his own career. While it’s been many years since he’s fought outside, O’Malley says the entire ordeal is just something you have to deal with because there’s really no way to prepare for all the various possibilities that come along with an outdoor event. “It’s different,” O’Malley told MMA Fighting. “It adds to the craziness of this whole event. I have fought outside previously a long, long time ago, 10 years ago, eight years ago I think probably was the last time I fought outside. It’s just one of those things. “You can’t really prepare for it. You’ve just got to mentally prepare for being able to adapt to whatever happens. That’s kind of where I’m at.” Heat, humidity and even rain are all possibilities that could affect the fighters competing on Sunday’s historic event but there’s also the concern about insects flooding the area during the show. White also stated that became a concern as his production team scouted the White House and noticed there were a lot of insects surrounding the gardens on the South Lawn, which is where the gigantic structure known as ‘the claw’ is being built for the event. That said, O’Malley can’t sit around and contemplate worst case scenarios before they actually happen. Instead, he remembers that if weather conditions, insect infestation or any other issues outdoors are bad for him, then it’s no different or his opponent Aiemann Zahabi. They’ll both deal with the same problems so O’Malley prefers to just roll with the punches and hope for the best. “If it’s windy for me, it’s windy for him,” O’Malley said. “It’s not like it’s [only] going to affect one of us. It could affect one of us more so than the other but we’re both going to have to deal with whatever it is. “I have a feeling it’s going to be nice out. It’s going to be beautiful. It’s going to be perfect. It’s going to be a good night.”

"

Sean O’Malley ready to brave the elements at UFC White House