UFC fighters can’t leak their fights if they don’t know about them before they’re announced.
That was the promotion’s attitude when it came to the UFC White House card. Justin Gaethje didn’t know he was fighting Ilia Topuria in the main event of Freedom 250 until the UFC officially announced it at UFC 326. There’s even video footage of him in the stands looking surprised as the fight was revealed on the jumbotron.
Sean O’Malley’s opponent Aiemann Zahabi had a similar experience finding out about his
fight, and he attributes it to leaks.
“I think it’s because they want to keep everything leak-proof,” he told streamer Neon in a new video. “They don’t want anybody to leak it to the media or whatever. I think they picked one side of the card and they made two options for every [B-side] fighter.”
“I said yes, I think Corey Sandhagen said yes. And I think they offered Topuria the fight with Gaethje, but they also offered him Islam Makhachev. And they didn’t tell anybody who they picked out of the two options so that nothing leaks in the news or whatever. So then they announced it on the day and we all got surprised.”
“I thought it was like a really cool announcement,” he added.
While the UFC does go to silly lengths to try and keep fight announcements reserved for Dana White’s Instagram, there’s another explanation for their two opponent strategy: money and control. If the UFC has two opponents in their back pocket for any given fight, they can switch from Corey Sandhagen to Aiemann Zahabi if Sandhagen happens to demand more money or title considerations to fight O’Malley.
What makes no sense whatsoever, though, is being two months out from UFC White House without a signed bout contract. That’s where Zahabi is right now.
“How it [normally] works with UFC, you send them a text to confirm. Right away, they send you a confirmation that they received your message and the next date, within twenty four hours, I get a fight contract. It’s signed, it’s done, it’s sealed.”
This time for UFC White House?
“I got nothing, I still don’t have a contract,” Zahabi said. “But the UFC is good with their word.”
