LAS VEGAS – It took some convincing to get Dana White on board for Sean O’Malley’s next fight.
O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) meets former bantamweight champion Petr Yan (16-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi in what arguably will be the biggest test of his career.
But when matchmaker Sean Shelby proposed the O’Malley-Yan fight for Oct. 22, he had to really pitch it to White, who wasn’t immediately sold. The UFC president initially thought it was too soon for “The Suga Show.”
“We were in matchmaking and Sean Shelby actually came up with that fight,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at DWCS 47 on Tuesday. “Sean Shelby wanted that fight. I said, ‘Are you out of your mind? You don’t make that fight now.’ He told me why you make it, and O’Malley’s ready.
“O’Malley’s about to be 28 years old in October, in his absolute prime right now. (He) hits like a truck. He ended up selling me on it. And more importantly, both guys wanted it. And even more importantly than that, when we announced it, everyone went crazy and loves it. And even more important than that, it should be a f*cking really good fight.”
The matchup comes after O’Malley’s most recent fight with Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 earlier this month was ruled a no contest after an accidental eye poke rendered Munhoz unable to continue at the 3:09 mark of Round 2. Yan will be looking to rebound from a UFC 273 title loss to bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who has handed him his only two octagon setbacks.
This is all you need to know who is who here.
They have nearly identical UFC and overall experience levels yet Yan is leagues ahead in competition and accomplishments.
What the fuck are you waiting for Dana? Will O’Malley be ready for big fights when he’s 35 with a can-record of 30-1?
O’Malley turns 28 this year. Does Dana want him to fight for a title when he’s 40? lol
Wanderlei was fighting for UFC and PRIDE belts when he was 23 and 24. Fedor fought for a belt at 26. Shogun won the Grand Prix when he was 23. Jon Jones won the belt at 23.
O’Malley didn’t start fighting late, so the only reason to hold him back is to protect him. No one should be chasing titles in their 30s unless they started late.
O Malley has been in the UFC since 2017. He failed 2 PED tests and had injuries
https://forums.mixedmartialarts.com/t/sean-o-malley-suspended-6-months-for-2nd-violation/2806385/39
If O’Malley loses he won’t lose so much shine that they can’t build him back up. Smart move by Shelby.
Sterling showed that Yan is beatable (2x, both called loudly and publicly by me, black is beautiful baby like Boobie Miles). I think O’Malley can win with the right game plan,but HE IS NO STERLING… Im very curious to see how Yan rebounds from his 2L’s here… O’Malley has a lot to gain and very little to lose here.
Yeah, Triple C said O’Malley should use his grappling to beat Yan.
I think O’Malley’s biggest issue is his camp. He has natural ability that most fighters would kill for but it feels like his fight IQ isn’t good at all. That he seems timid to pull the trigger at times when he doesn’t have his opponent overmatched.
O’Malley is going look like he went through a wood chipper after this fight
O’Malley’s length will give Yan issues, imo. It’ll be a close fight.
He kind of already looks like he went through a circus wood chipper.
" Ronald Methdonald " - CCC
Dana is right
Great matchup.
Sean needs to follow Aljamain’s example.
If he tries to box with Yan he could get beat up
I went back and watched Yan vs Faber and damn Yan is a tough SOB.
Faber is such a durable tough fighter himself, I was very impressed how he just bullied Urijah around. And I think Urijah would smoke Sean O’Malley so this fight is going to be interesting.
I think this fight is a win/win for O’Malley. Even if he gets KTFo’d it’s to be expected. If he just lasts a few minutes he will gain a ton of respect.
Any word on when he’s coming back? How far along in the USADA test pool is he?
I can’t wait for Cejudos return. 125/135 sucked when he left and TJ popped
Much like Aljos did, that shared sentiment is why I think O’Malley has a chance although it’s not a large one. He really needs to have and execute the perfect game plan in my opinion
I think you have to be in it for 4 months before fighting. It’s been at least 2 or 3 since he’s been in.