Petr Yan criticizes Sean O’Malley‘s selection of UFC bantamweight title contenders, accuses him of choosing opponents he can beat, and expresses his desire for a rematch against O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
Petr Yan? Not a fan of Sean O’Malley as the UFC bantamweight champ. Not one bit.
This coming Saturday, Yan’s up against Song Yadong. It’s a main card event at UFC 299, happening at Miami’s Kaseya Center. But the real headliner? A bantamweight title fight. New champ Sean O’Malley versus his old nemesis Marlon Vera.
Some fans, they’re not too thrilled about this fight. Why? Vera lost to Cory Sandhagen just last year. And Yan? He’s with the fans on this one.
Yan’s words at the UFC 299 media day? “Marlon Vera got a gift, got gifted this title shot because he lost to Cory Sandhagen.” He’s not the one to decide who challenges for the title, but he’s itching to get back in the title race.
Yan’s take on Sean? “Sean just picked contenders that he can beat because he doesn’t believe he can beat any other top contenders in the division.” And a reminder from Yan on how Sean got his title shot – a gifted decision against Yan himself.
Remember UFC 280? O’Malley won a controversial split decision over Yan. That win catapulted him into his title shot against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. And he won that one by knockout. Yan, on the other hand, lost to Merab Dvalishvili in his next fight.
This weekend, Yan’s hoping to get back at least one of those losses. Or maybe both.
Yan’s honest opinion? “I’m interested in rematches. In the fights that I lost or in the fights that I won, but was announced as the loser. So I’m interested in Sean and Merab.”
But first things first. Yan’s got to beat Song Yadong. This 26-year-old Chinese bantamweight is currently the No. 12 ranked bantamweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. He’s on a winning streak, with back-to-back wins in 2023.
For Yan, who’s currently on a three-fight losing streak, this weekend is crucial. He’s ready to show up on Saturday and get back in the title conversation.
Yan’s thoughts on Song? “Song is young and hungry opponent. For me it’s an opportunity first of all to prove to myself that I have the skills to win and get back in the title picture.”
Yan’s not underestimating Song. “I don’t want to look behind Song’s back. He’s a good opponent, but I’m willing to bring him back to school.”