Throughout his rise up the UFC bantamweight rankings, Sean O’Malley has fought several hard-hitters in the cage, but one stood out to him more than most.
This coming Saturday at UFC 316, Sean O’Malley looks to exact revenge on Merab Dvalishvili when the two rematch for the bantamweight title in Newark, New Jersey.
Ahead of their huge rematch, Dvalishvili has predicted that he will strike and subsequently knockout O’Malley, which has drawn a reaction from the former champion.
Despite ‘The Machine’s’ confidence, the Georgian isn’t known for his striking capabilities and ‘Suga’ has showcased a solid chin throughout his career. However, the former champion has revealed which fighter did rock him the hardest throughout his UFC tenure.
Sean O’Malley names Petr Yan as the hardest-hitter he’s ever faced
Following a controversial no-contest against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276, O’Malley was matched up against former bantamweight champion, Petr Yan, at UFC 280.
The fight booking came as a big surprise to the UFC fanbase because at the time, ‘No Mercy’ Yan was ranked number one in the division and ‘Suga’ was ranked outside of the top 10.
Having not been particularly tested throughout his impressive UFC tenure, the Russian brought the fight to the superstar from the opening bell, putting him on the back-foot more than any other fighter previously.
The fight ended in an extremely controversial result as O’Malley took the split decision despite the majority of the fanbase and media scoring the fight in favor of Yan.
Despite having his head elbowed through the canvas by Marlon Vera two years prior, O’Malley revealed that Yan hit him the hardest he’s ever been hit.
“Petr Yan’s left hand in Abu Dhabi (is the hardest I’ve ever been hit),” O’Malley told Vic Blends.
“I cracked him, boom, dropped him with a right hand. I switched stances, he switched stances at the same time and just catches me with a boom, left hand, turns my chin, that was the hardest I’ve ever been hit,” O’Malley continued.
Sean O’Malley offers retirement timeline ahead of UFC 316
Ahead of his rematch against the Georgian, O’Malley has offered a timeline on when he expects to retire from MMA, claiming that he wants to fight until the wheels fall off.
The 30-year-old has claimed that he would like to continue fighting until he is around 38 years old, meaning he has a while still to go.
O’Malley hasn’t taken a massive amount of damage throughout his career, making his retirement timeline believable and achievable.