Sean O'Malley, the UFC's most colorful personality, has never been one to hold back—and he's not about to start now. The former bantamweight champion, known for his signature pink hair and flashy style, has taken aim at the fight kits mandated for the UFC's historic White House event on June 14.
"I don't even know if I'm supposed to say this," O'Malley admitted on his podcast. "They're ugly. Mine were ugly." The 31-year-old star is set to face Aiemann Zahabi on the South Lawn as part of a celebration marking 250 years of the United States—a spectacle made possible by the close ties between President Donald Trump (who turns 80 that same day) and UFC CEO Dana White.
The kits, revealed this week, feature a predominantly white design that didn't sit well with "Sugar Sean." "They're not pink, which is fine—I've worn other colors," he explained. "I'm not going to not show up because my shorts aren't pink. I'll make my hair pink or whatever." But the criticism went deeper than just color. "Did they go on Fiverr and say, 'Hey, we've got these guys fighting on the White House lawn, can you come up with something?'"
True to his fighting spirit, O'Malley quickly turned his disappointment into a bold prediction. "I will say, I like the white because I truly believe I'm going to crack Aiemann," he said. "I'm excited for my white shorts to be red. I'm going to see how red I can get my white shorts from his blood." It's a vintage O'Malley promise, recalling his 2021 fight against Kris Moutinho, where he battered his opponent for nearly three rounds before securing a stoppage in the final 30 seconds.
While the kits may not match his usual flair, O'Malley's focus remains clear: "I think I'm going to beat the hell out of him—kind of like Moutinho-esque." For fans of the sport and fashion alike, it's just another chapter in the career of a fighter who always makes a statement, whether in the Octagon or on the lawn of the White House.
