A glimpse into the fight between Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley at UFC 280
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Yan will face O'Malley in the co-main event at UFC 280
Sean O’Malley vs Petr Yan! Since Henry Cejudo hung up his gloves after defeating Dominick Cruz, the bantamweight division in the UFC has experienced a lot of chaos. With many contenders and challengers emerging, the 135-pound division has seen two different champions since ‘Triple C’ bid goodbye to the sport. This has led to a high-level competition which in turn has provided fans with thrilling fights.
While Aljamain Sterling reigns over the bantamweight division as its current king, the Jamaican fighter has potential contenders knocking on his door. When Sterling defends his bantamweight crown against TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280, his fight will be preceded by bantamweight contenders Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan.
This bout between O’Malley and Yan could be a potential title eliminator as the victor might meet the winner of Sterling vs Dillashaw. While this bout has grabbed the attention of fans around the world, let’s take a deeper look at how these fighters stack up against each other.
Related: “Really not doing much”- O’Malley explains his rationale behind why he does not have a manager
A preview of Petr Yan vs Sean O’Malley
Some fights in the UFC have the potential to become legendary right when they are announced. The same can be said when Petr Yan takes on Sean O’Malley. Both fighters are at the heights of their career, and a victory here could mold them into major stars for the company.
Going into the bout, Yan will look to bounce back from a loss against Aljamain Sterling. While Yan enjoyed an undefeated run in the UFC, the same came to an end when he illegally knee’d Sterling and lost his title at UFC 259. Since then, the Russian has had a victory against Cody Sandhagen while the rematch against Sterling did not go his way.
From the time Sean O’Malley first made his walk in the UFC, the ‘Suga Show’ has been the talk of the town. A man full of charisma, O’Malley has experienced only one loss against Marlon Vera in his entire UFC run. However, since that loss, O’Malley bounced back and is now on an impressive 3-fight win streak.
Petr Yan’s advantage in the fight lies in his grappling. While the Russian can trade with any bantamweight on the planet, it would only be a wise option for him to take O’Malley down since his grappling hasn’t been tested. On the other hand, O’Malley can benefit from fighting this bout while maintaining range. Some of Yan’s best work comes when he gets on the inside of his opponents. However, with the tall stature and frame O’Malley has, it will be interesting to see how Yan deals with the same.
Also Read: O’Malley hilariously trolls Pedro Munhoz for the way he handled the eye poke at UFC 276
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Varun Anand Bhat
(106 Articles Published)