🩸 Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi Prediction, Picks & Odds: Bet the Distance

This is a good fight. Our Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi prediction and UFC Freedom 250 betting preview walks you through the best bets for tonight's showdown. O'Malley is a -440 betting favorite to beat Zahabi on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. The bantamweight bout lands on the main card, which airs live on Paramount+ starting at 8 p.m. ET.

O'Malley is the better and more dangerous striker, and at -440 the books agree he should win. The part I keep landing on is the finish, or the lack of one. Zahabi is defensive, technical, and hard to rattle. O'Malley has fought more patiently lately, and I'm not sure he still carries the pop to drop a fighter this tough.

🩸 Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi predictions: UFC Freedom 250

See all of our UFC picks for this weekend's fights; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.

Total wagered: 9 units | Max profit: 4.99 units

💰 Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi best bet: Fight goes the distance (-160)

Look at the two résumés. Zahabi has been dropped and still found a way to win, walking through trouble against Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo and grinding out the decision both times.

O'Malley, for all his highlight knockouts early in his career, has leaned on footwork and points as the competition has stiffened. His last win over Song Yadong went the full 15 minutes. Put a patient O'Malley across from a fighter who refuses to fold, and three rounds feels like the likeliest outcome. At -160, the distance is my best bet on the entire card.

🆚 Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi fight preview

Check our best UFC betting sites for the latest odds for this fight.

O'Malley owns the obvious physical edges. He is three inches taller, he carries a four-inch reach advantage, and his footwork and feints are some of the best in the division. Against a shorter man, that length usually decides things. He can pepper the lead leg and snap the jab without ever planting his feet long enough to get countered.

Zahabi's challenge is the one every O'Malley opponent faces. He cannot sit back and react to the faster man, because nobody wins that race against Suga. He has to lead and force the exchanges, then try to counter the counter when O'Malley resets. That is a tall order, but Zahabi is a smart, disciplined veteran out of Tristar who rarely beats himself. He has built a long winning streak by staying tight defensively and clipping opponents who get reckless.

My read is simple. O'Malley should win the striking battle and the scorecards, but Zahabi has shown he can absorb a big shot, reset, and keep competing. That is the exact profile that drags a fight into the third round. I expect O'Malley to bank a clear decision while Zahabi makes him work for all 15 minutes.

Prediction: Sean O'Malley to win (-440 via DraftKings)

💡 How I'm handicapping Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi

The pick to win is easy. O'Malley is the more talented and rangier fighter, and he has the higher gear when he wants it. At -440 there is no value in laying that price by itself, so the question becomes how he wins, not if.

I don't see the stoppage. Last time out, O'Malley looked content to box and move against Song Yadong, and that more measured version of Suga is not the one who blitzes a tough opponent off his feet. Zahabi, for his part, has been wobbled and lived to tell about it, beating Vera and Aldo on the cards after weathering their best moments.

So the distance at -160 is where I am putting my money, and it is comfortably my favorite play on this card. If you want a side to go with it, O'Malley by decision at +110 is a clean add that lines up with everything above.

📊 Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi odds

Odds via FanDuel; subject to change.

⚖️ Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi tale of the tape

📺 How to watch Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi: UFC Freedom 250

• Date: Sunday, June 14
• Time: 8 p.m. ET (main card)
• Location: South Lawn of The White House (Washington)
• Streaming: Paramount+