Bantamweight veteran Rani Yahya has just defeated a game Kyung Ho Kang at UFC Vegas 43, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt already has his sights set on the next challenge. In fact, the 37-year-old even has some names in mind, including one that many other men would like to take on: hot prospect Sean O’Malley.
In an interview with Combate, Yahya did name other potential opponents for his next outings, such as Adrian Yanez or Marlon Vera. However, Rani has a preference for O’Malley, who he wants to give a hard time in the Octagon, should the UFC allow the pairing to become true.
“A guy who got my attention just before I fought is Adrian Yanez. That’s a name I thought of just now. Last week (actually two weeks ago) we saw Marlon Vera (beat Frankie Edgar). We had a fight booked once, but I had some family issues and couldn’t go on with the fight. I’d really like to face him. It’s either them or the usual guy: Sean O’Malley.”
“I know that everybody wants to fight him, but maybe the UFC likes this pairing.” Yahya continued. “Because I’m a veteran and they might think that Sean can surprise me. I want that fight because I’d like to rough him up.”
With the win over Kang, Yahya (28-10-1-1 NC) began a new win streak, following a submission victory against Ray Rodriguez, back in March. Before that, the 37-year-old had fought Enrique Barzola to a majority draw and dropped a unanimous decision to Ricky Simon, respectively in March 2020 and February 2019.
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