Joe Rogan may be worried about the outdoor elements at UFC’s upcoming White House card next month, but former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley seems ready to fight through the weather (or flying insects).
While there is substantial buildup for UFC’s impending fight card on the White House Lawn many are concerned about hosting an entire card outside. For years, UFC CEO Dana White has refused to stage UFC events anywhere other than inside, which is the main reason the promotion has yet to host a card in Hawaii.
Holding fights at the White House is certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that White and company couldn’t pass up, but measures need to be taken to prepare for hazardous weather and other potential fight-altering factors like gnats and overall lighting.
UFC is currently building a massive structure on the White House lawn that should shoulder most of the technical load, but there’s more work to be done. Check out the promotion’s progress below:
As for the weather, there’s not much predictability there. All involved are hoping for a nice night in Washington D.C. with limited issues. However, those fighting on the card should be prepared for absolutely anything just in case something goes awry. That’s exactly what O’Malley is doing as the former UFC champion is keeping all scenarios on the table.
“It’s at the White House, so you gotta deal with whatever you gotta deal with,” O’Malley recently 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.”
At the end of the day, O’Malley is focused on being the best fighter he can be at UFC’s White House card as he squares off with streaking contender Aiemann Zahabi on the seven-fight main card. “Suga” doesn’t sound too concerned about the things that are out of his control.
“If the weather’s not crazy, it’s gonna come down to who’s better,” said O’Malley. “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.”
