Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has shared his thoughts on Joe Rogan’s recent reservations regarding the UFC event scheduled to take place at the White House.
Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan has expressed a preference for the promotion to construct an air-conditioned arena instead of holding fights in the open air on the South Lawn of the White House.
Rogan voiced concerns on his podcast that the weather on June 14th could be extremely hot, potentially leading to dehydration issues for the fighters on the UFC Freedom 250 card. He also highlighted the issue of insects, though UFC President Dana White has stated that fans will be utilized to mitigate this problem.
Given that the main and co-main events of the UFC White House card are title fights, Joe Rogan believes championship bouts should always occur in a controlled environment.
Sean O’Malley’s Reaction to Joe Rogan’s Comments on the White House Card
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Sean O’Malley, who is set to fight Aiemann Zahabi on June 14th, commented on Joe Rogan’s apprehensions about the outdoor event.
O’Malley, also known as “Suga,” acknowledged that extreme heat could potentially influence a fight’s outcome. However, he pointed out that all fighters on the card, including his Canadian opponent who is not accustomed to hot weather, were aware of the challenges of competing outdoors before signing their contracts. He stated, “It is what it is.”
“It’s at the White House, so you gotta deal with whatever you gotta deal with. That would suck to lose because of a reason outside of your skill set,” O’Malley told Mike Bohn.
“May the best man win, and if something plays a role because it’s outside and it affects the fight somehow, that would suck, it is 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… We are gonna have to adapt to it if it is messed up weather.”