Sean O’Malley is never shy about expressing himself, and the newly revealed UFC White House fight kits clearly did not impress him.
The former bantamweight champion is expected to wear the special edition Venum shorts when he faces Aiemann Zahabi at the upcoming “Freedom 250” event on June 14 in Washington, D.C. But according to O’Malley, the design missed the mark.
That is assuming the bout officially gets finalized.
O’Malley calls White House shorts ‘ugly’
Speaking on his YouTube channel, O’Malley gave a brutally honest reaction to the fight kits created for the landmark card on the White House lawn.
“I don’t know if I’m even supposed to say this, but they’re ugly,” O’Malley said.
“Mine were ugly. I don’t like them. They’re not pink, which is fine, whatever. I wore other colors. I’m not gonna not show up because my shorts aren’t pink.”
O’Malley, known for his colorful look and flashy personality, joked that he would simply adjust his appearance elsewhere.
“I’ll make my f*cking hair pink, whatever.”
He then took aim at the creative process behind the design.
“But I’m just like … did they go on Fiverr and say, ‘Hey, you know, we got these guys getting into a fight on the White House Lawn? Can you just come up with something?’”
White shorts could turn red on fight night
Despite disliking the design, O’Malley admitted there is one thing he likes about the all-white trunks.
“When I was wearing them, they’re white, which is whatever. I mean, I love white, Dana White, you know, soy blanca. I just, I didn’t love them.”
The 31-year-old then shifted focus toward his upcoming matchup with Zahabi and predicted a violent performance inside the cage.
“I will say, I like the white, because I do truly believe I’m gonna crack Aiemann,” O’Malley continued.
“I’m gonna bloody his nose. I think I’m gonna hit him a lot. I think he’s gonna be very tough, I think he’s gonna be very durable.”
O’Malley compared the potential outcome to his 2020 fight against Kris Moutinho, a bout where he overwhelmed his opponent with nonstop striking.
“I think I’m gonna beat the f*ck out of him, kind of like Kris Moutinho-esque, but I’m also a lot better than I was back then.”
Fans also criticize UFC’s new designs
O’Malley believes he will eventually get the finish against Zahabi and even embraced the possibility of the white shorts becoming stained during the fight.
“So I believe I’m gonna finish him, but I’m excited for my white shorts to be red. Like, I want to see how red I can get my white shorts from his blood.”
“That is kind of cool, but overall, didn’t f*cking love ‘em.”
The reaction online appeared to echo O’Malley’s criticism, with many fans on social media questioning the look of the White House-themed fight kits after the UFC officially unveiled them earlier this week.