The highly anticipated bantamweight meeting between ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan will have big implications at 135lbs. UFC president Dana White has confirmed that the bout is a number one contender fight for a chance at the belt. Yan vs. O’Malley will take place on the main card of UFC 280 this weekend.
With the 135lb belt being defended by Aljamain Sterling against TJ Dillashaw, the next fight for both winners will be clear by Sunday morning. The bantamweight division is arguably the most stacked in the UFC. The title implications of this bout have likely just motivated both fighters to get the win even more.
Petr Yan
Yan is currently number 1 in the bantamweight rankings and number 13 in the P4P rankings. The Tiger Muay Thai fighter looks to get back to winning ways on his return to Abu Dhabi this weekend.
This will be the first time the Russian has fought in a non-title bout since 2019. After finishing UFC legend Jose Aldo in 2020, Yan found himself matched up against current champion Aljamain Sterling. Going back and forward on social media and having a clear disliking for each other. The fight began to build up a lot of hype. Aljo came out fast against the Russian. However, time played a big part in the bout as Yan slowly started getting the better of Sterling. All seemed to be going well until Yan threw an illegal knee at Sterling forcing the referee to call the fight and awarding Sterling the belt via disqualification.
Since losing his belt in such an ugly way, Yan has claimed an interim belt over Cory Sandhagen. However, Petr suffered another defeat to Sterling. Yan, determined to get back to the top of the division, will have a brand-new challenge in O’Malley to get past first. The Russian is an all-out machine with unprecedented stamina and fighting ability. Not even 30, Yan puts his all into every fight, and this will be no different.
Sean O’Malley
This will be ‘Suga’ Sean’s first chance to get a title shot in the UFC. Even O’Malley was surprised when Yan accepted him. Only being ranked number 11, O’Malley did not think Yan would risk his number 1 contender spot for him. The flashy-styled American has been in the UFC since his KO win in season 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series. Slowly becoming a superstar in the sport, the young fighter has taken the long road to the top of the 135lb division. The fight between Yan is a big middle finger to those who have ever claimed the fighter is a can-crusher.
After a no-contest against a dangerous Pedro Munhoz, it was unsure what the UFC would do with O’Malley. Whether they would make him take one more fight before sending him to the top or throw him in the deep end. The company went with the tough option for O’Malley. This is the twitch streaming fighter’s chance to show his nay-sayers that he is the real deal and belongs at the top. O’Malley will likely be an underdog for this matchup, but he cannot be counted out for a second. Whether it’s his clean boxing, terrifying kicks, or underrated BJJ, O’Malley has a big chance to state his claim at the top of 135lbs.
Prediction
Although it will likely be against the odds, I believe Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan will end in a win for Sean O’Malley via decision. If the American can stay out of range of Yan’s array of strikes and protect his legs from Petr’s destructive leg kicks, he may just do enough to leave Abu Dhabi with a number-one contender spot.
