Sean O’Malley takes on Petr Yan in the featured main card bout at UFC 280. This will be the biggest test of Sean’s career but, also a massive opportunity. This fight will prove to be a lot for Sean as the young prospect was only able to break into the top-10 after facing Pedro Munhoz, who is ranked nine.
In an interview, Sean explained why his name should be among the best fighters in the world and his comparison with the former Bantamweight champion. Sean said:
“I think if you asked the smartest guys, the best fighters in the world, ‘What do you guys think?’ They’re like, ‘God, I don’t know. It’s a tough one!’ But if you ask the casuals it’s like, ‘Oh, Petr is going to smoke him. He’s a 3-1 underdog or whatever.’”
The young fighter thinks he is better than Yan and this is why some fans have trolled him severely as Petr has simply faced a lot of experienced top contenders while ‘Suga’ has a few on his resume.
‘Suga’ suffered his only loss in the UFC against Chito Vera, where the fight ended by TKO. One user pointed that out and wrote: “The same guy who couldn’t even beat Chito and now he’s beating Yan?”
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Sean has had multiple problems with his ankle in many fights. He has been trolled for having the same injury repeatedly. Another fan sarcastically wrote: “Boy keep forgetting he got ankles made of paper and that he got smacked up by Chito.”
Sean O’Malley says he will give Petr Yan a “big problem” at UFC 280
Sean O’Malley will enter as a sizeable underdog in this fight but it was not what he had expected. UFC 280 also features current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling defending his title against former champion TJ Dillashaw.
This will be a big fight for O’Malley, and an opportunity to prove all the doubters wrong if he can beat Petr. In the same interview, Sean said:
“I’m a little surprised but also I kind of get it from other people’s perspectives. But I believe I’m better than Petr Yan, and I believe I’m going to go out there and beat his ass, so I guess I am kind of surprised.”
A win over the No. 2 bantamweight in the world would surely guarantee O’Malley a shot at the winner of the Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw title fight. But Yan is a very dangerous fighter with a lot of dominant wins against many elite strikers like Jose Aldo, Joshua Faber, Cody Garbrandt, and more.
On the other hand, Sean faced only Munoz, a top 10 contender, and his attempt against Chito Vera cost him a defeat and an ankle injury. Regardless of who wins in this fight, fans will be treated to a very exciting fight on October 22 when the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi.