Sean O’Malley looks ahead to possible Petr Yan rematch
UFC sensation Sean O’Malley has spoken about the possibility of him running it back with UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan.
Prior to his reign as champ, Sean O’Malley went head to head with Petr Yan in one of the most intriguing bantamweight contests in recent memory. In the end, ‘Suga’ managed to get his hand raised in victory, which is the result that set him up for a world title shot against Aljamain Sterling, that he went on to win.
Some, to this day, still argue that Yan should have been the one to get the decision. Alas, Sean O’Malley was the man that night, but now, the tables have turned. Yan is a two-time UFC champion after defeating Merab Dvalishvili, who himself has two victories over Sean.
In a recent interview, Sean O’Malley made it crystal clear that he is hungry to face Petr once again.
Sean O’Malley is ready for Petr Yan
“I’ve been hearing Petr and Merab are going to fight for a long time – still nothing booked,” O’Malley said on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast. “I don’t know if it’s Merab’s nose or Petr’s back. It sucks. One of those guys is obviously holding it up, and I don’t think it’s Merab. I think Merab would fight with his arm cut off. So I think Petr is probably just dealing with some injuries.
“He’s the champ, and if he’s going to come back (against) Merab – I fought Merab knowing I was getting surgery after with a torn labrum. Still, it was a close fight, and then I get the surgery and fight Merab again seven months later, just wanting to be back, just wanting the belt back.
“You can’t fight Merab on half-assed camps. You need a full, full camp. You need to be fully healthy to fight Merab, and Petr probably knows that. So he’s taking his time, as he should. He is the champ. You don’t want to go out there and lose the belt because you did something you shouldn’t do, so I get it. But also, if they want me vs. Petr next, I do think me vs. Petr Yan 2, rematch, is the biggest fight in bantamweight history. I think it’s the biggest one you could possibly make right now, and the UFC would be risking (it) making Merab vs. Petr.” [HT MMA Junkie]
