Following the co-main event at UFC 333, Sean O’Malley fully anticipated Petr Yan to challenge him, yet the callout never came to pass.
This past Saturday in Abu Dhabi, Yan engaged in a trilogy clash against Merab Dvalishvili. Although “The Machine” showed strong momentum in the initial stages, Yan successfully shifted the momentum when it mattered most, securing a judges’ decision victory in yet another closely contested bantamweight title match. Meanwhile, several observers were caught off guard by the promotion highlighting Song Yadong, who was seated ringside to watch Yan’s triumph.
Yan indicated he was open to a rematch against Yadong, completely omitting any mention of seeking revenge for his previous defeat to O’Malley. Sharing his real-time thoughts in a YouTube video, O’Malley reacted to Yan’s decision not to mention his name throughout the post-bout chat with Daniel Cormier (via MMAMania.com).
“They brought Song Yadong all the way to Abu Dhabi, likely expecting Merab to emerge victorious,” stated O’Malley. “I had commitments to handle myself—I was down in Florida attending a PrizePicks function, so attending wasn’t an option for me… Regardless, Song was present. My guess is he was brought in for a scenario where Merab took the win. DC essentially set the stage for it.
“It definitely caught me off guard that Petr didn’t name me. I’m not sure why, considering it’s clearly the most significant matchup to put together. From his perspective, man, look at how I called out Chito [Vera] right after I took the belt. I was basically saying, hand me the easiest fight possible. Well, not literally the easiest ever, but… I’m open to it. Look, I’ll square up with anyone, but given the choice, my pick is Chito.”
Back in 2022, O’Malley secured a victory over Yan through a hotly debated split decision. Following that win, the “Suga” show capitalized on his bantamweight championship opportunity against Aljamain Sterling, capturing the 135-pound title via a TKO stoppage in the second round.
Would you expect a rematch between Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley to serve as the upcoming UFC bantamweight championship bout? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Originally published on BJPENN.COM
