The UFC White House card was supposed to be historic. However, as it grows closer, it feels more like an idea in search of an anchor. Big names are floated, then quietly crossed off, and the air of inevitability that usually surrounds landmark UFC events just isn’t there yet.

That uncertainty has not gone overlooked within the roster. While fans discuss who might headline, Sean O’Malley openly questions who can. In doing so, he shifted the focus away from fantasy matchups and toward a brutal reality check on star power.

Sean O’Malley questions who really carries the White House card

When talking about the event on his YouTube channel, Sean O’Malley was as blunt as one gets. “The White House card has to be f——- massive,” he said before going down a list of names that are no longer locks. “Jon Jones? Doesn’t sound like it’s going to be him. Ain’t going to be Ilia Topuria. Ain’t going to be Alex Pereira.” The pillars disappear one by one.

As for Conor McGregor, he always remains a dicey man to bet on. What made the moment land harder was O’Malley’s honesty about himself. He admitted the obvious: ‘Suga’ is coming off two recent losses and a stalled momentum, so he too isn’t going to be a big draw.

Nonetheless, he still pitched his name for Dana White to consider, as one big, sharp-looking win and the narrative shifts. That opportunity, he believes, benefits not only him but also the UFC. After all, according to Sean O’Malley, Sean Strickland has already declared he won’t take part in the event.

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And as Tim Welch rightly added, even Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t want his fighters anywhere near the card. Pereira, too, recently revealed he’s out of the card. So, the list of willing superstars definitely isn’t growing. That’s precisely where O’Malley’s confidence turns into leverage.

“They need me,” he said, not as arrogance but as math. Few fighters get mainstream visibility in the way he does. Few can sell a moment, a look, or a fight without a title around their waist the way ‘Suga’ can. And that’s why the former champion has already floated his solution: beat Song Yadong, then go for a one-on-one with none other than Petr Yan.

O’Malley makes the pitch to fight Petr Yan

That idea isn’t just bravado. Sean O’Malley’s suggested path is carefully planned, beginning with Song Yadong and concluding with unfinished business. He knows the Song fight is the gatekeeper, but the true goal is beyond it. If he makes it past January 24, he believes the rest will fall into place automatically.

The Yan matchup carries weight that other title fights don’t need to manufacture. Their 2022 face-off is still replayed, with many claiming Yan should have had his hand raised. That controversy is precisely why ‘Suga’ believes the moment is right.

“When Petr beat Merab, I got a whole new level of just like, mental switch and hunger,” he said on his podcast. “I’m gonna go out there and beat Song, and then me vs. Petr at the White House.” More than rankings, Sean O’Malley sells inevitability. He keeps returning to the same question: “Who else makes sense?”

With stars like Alex Pereira, Ilia Topuria, and Jon Jones unlikely to appear, the Yan rematch stands out as both significant and marketable. For ‘Suga,’ it’s not just about reclaiming a belt; it’s about giving the White House card a centerpiece based on a never-ending rivalry rather than hope or nostalgia.