Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley does not let his history with one fighter change his opinion on their talents.
O’Malley quickly became must-watch TV in the UFC after announcing his arrival with one of the best Dana White’s Contender Series performances to date.
A number of highlight-reel moments followed, with brutal knockouts against the likes of Eddie Wineland and Thomas Almeida pushing ‘Suga’ up the ladder and ultimately to the bantamweight title in 2022.
While high on his own talents, O’Malley is also a keen viewer of the sport away from the cage. And he has a special appreciation when watching one of his former rivals go to work.
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Sean O’Malley names Petr Yan as one of his favorite UFC fighters to watch
During a recent appearance on the Overdogs Podcast with former UFC fighter Mike Perry, O’Malley reacted to Petr Yan’s latest victory inside the Octagon.
Yan defeated O’Malley’s teammate at UFC Abu Dhabi in late July, grinding out a hard-fought decision victory over Marcus McGhee to successfully defend his top-five spot in the bantamweight rankings.
While the pair had a heated build-up and fallout to their 2022 fight, O’Malley still touted Yan as one of the fighters he enjoys seeing in action the most.
“Petr is one of my favorite guys to watch,” O’Malley said. “I’m sure he is one of most people’s favorite guys to watch.
“He is so technical, so fun to watch. Yeah, that (Yan’s win over McGhee) was a great fight to watch,” he added
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Petr Yan maintains that he beat Sean O’Malley at UFC 280
Almost three years on from their battle in Abu Dhabi, Yan is still convinced that he was robbed by the judges against O’Malley.
The pair fought at UFC 280, a pay-per-view headlined by Islam Makhachev beating Charles Oliveira to become lightweight champion. Before that main event result and Aljamain Sterling’s successful title defense against TJ Dillashaw in the co-headliner, O’Malley and Yan secured Fight of the Night after exchanging brutal blows in their three-round contest.
The split decision ultimately went the way of ‘Suga’, much to the Russian’s dismay. And even to this day, Yan still does not recognize the O’Malley defeat.
“Me, personally, I don’t think I had three losses (in a row),” Yan told UFC.com regarding his past losing skid.
“I beat Sean O’Malley, decisively. I had a close fight with Aljamain Sterling that I think that I won, and the only fight I lost was against Merab, and I had reasons for a performance like that.
“So, myself, I never thought that I had three losses,” Yan added.