{"id":732931,"date":"2026-06-12T22:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T22:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/732931\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T22:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T22:47:14","slug":"omalley-vs-zahabi-best-bet-lock-goes-to-decision-at-ufc-freedom-250","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/732931\/","title":{"rendered":"O\u2019Malley vs Zahabi best bet\/lock: Goes to decision at UFC Freedom 250."},"content":{"rendered":"

UFC Freedom 250<\/a> is less than 24 hours away \u2026<\/p>\n

It all goes down this weekend (Sun., June 14, 2026) on the White House\u2019s South Lawn<\/a> in Washington, D.C., as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) celebrates America\u2019s 250th birthday with one of the most unique events<\/a> in combat sports history.<\/p>\n

We have a weekly series at MMAmania.com<\/a> called \u201cWeekend Lock,\u201d where we share one bet that we predict will slap in D.C. when the chaotic dust settles. We also want to hear what our readers think (that\u2019s you!), so please tell us your most confident UFC Freedom 250 betting lock<\/a> in the comments section below (see full UFC Freedom 250 odds here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Last week\u2019s recap:<\/a> Well, I whiffed on my bet last weekend as Jordan Leavitt got tapped by Joanderson Brito \u2026 and I\u2019m not happy about it.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s keep rolling below:<\/p>\n

\"WASHINGTON,<\/a><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 10: No. 3 UFC bantamweight fighter Sean O\u2019Malley talks to reporters during the UFC Freedom 250 Media Day at the JW Marriott Hotel on June 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. Organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) — the world\u2019s largest professional mixed martial arts promotion company — the event is being hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his birthday and will take place on the White House\u2019s South Lawn on June 14. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Former UFC Bantamweight champion, Sean O\u2019Malley, returns to action against surging contender<\/a>, Aiemann Zahabi, in a fight that has a chance to end violently.<\/p>\n

This week, I\u2019m locking in O\u2019Malley vs. Zahabi<\/a> to \u201cGo the Distance<\/a>\u201d at -160.<\/p>\n

The biggest factor in this bout is durability.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Malley has only been finished twice in his professional career, while Zahabi has been stopped just once \u2014 and that came all the way back in 2017 when Ricardo Ramos blasted him with a ridiculous spinning elbow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been incredibly difficult to put away. And that includes when Jose Aldo kicked him in the head \u2026 and he still survived<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The other thing that\u2019s changed is O\u2019Malley\u2019s finishing rate.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, \u201cSuga\u201d felt like an automatic knockout waiting to happen<\/a>. Recently, however, that finishing ability has seemingly fallen off a cliff. He couldn\u2019t stop Marlon Vera in their rematch, and most recently couldn\u2019t finish an incredibly durable<\/a> Song Yadong at UFC 324<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing. O\u2019Malley has evolved into a much more mature, technical striker. Instead of forcing finishes, he manages distance, wins rounds and tries to pick apart opponents over 15 or 25 minutes.<\/p>\n

That style lends itself perfectly to a decision prop.<\/p>\n

As for Zahabi, he\u2019s publicly stated that he intends to strike with O\u2019Malley instead of leaning on wrestling. On paper, that sounds dangerous. In reality, Zahabi is a disciplined, intelligent fighter who understands range management and defense. He isn\u2019t the type to recklessly charge into exchanges searching for a highlight-reel finish.<\/p>\n

Expect a technical kickboxing match.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Malley will likely control the range with his length and precision, while Zahabi attempts to counter and make things competitive without taking unnecessary risks.<\/p>\n

Well, O\u2019Malley is still O\u2019Malley.<\/p>\n

Even if his knockout rate has slowed, he possesses elite timing and accuracy. One perfectly-placed counter could end the fight immediately. Likewise, if Zahabi becomes too confident in the striking exchanges, he could walk into something big.<\/p>\n

Still, given the durability of both men, O\u2019Malley\u2019s recent trend toward decisions, and Zahabi\u2019s historically tough chin, O\u2019Malley vs. Zahabi<\/a> to \u201cGo the Distance<\/a>\u201d at -160 looks like one of the safest plays on UFC Freedom 250\u2019s card.<\/p>\n

Sean O\u2019Malley via TKO\/KO\/DQ: +185<\/a>Sean O\u2019Malley via submission: +1600<\/a>Sean O\u2019Malley via decision: +100<\/a>Aiemann Zahabi via TKO\/KO\/DQ: +1400<\/a>Aiemann Zahabi via submission: +3000<\/a>Aiemann Zahabi via decision: +50o<\/a>\"Tim<\/a>\"MMAFor the latest UFC White House news and notes checkout our comprehensive event archive right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UFC Freedom 250 is less than 24 hours away \u2026 It all goes down this weekend (Sun., June…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":732932,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,33601,638,82,98879,702,17056,17055,8729],"class_list":["post-732931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fighting","tag-latest-ufc-mma-news","tag-mma","tag-sports","tag-ufc-white-house-2026","tag-ufc-news","tag-ufc-odds","tag-ufc-predictions","tag-ufc-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=732931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/732932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=732931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=732931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=732931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}