Sean O'Malley: I'll take the Yan rematch any way I can get it — even a robbery
“I'm going to try to win them all, but I'll take a KO, I'll take a decision, I'll take a robbery. Give me however I can get it, let me get it.”
Sean O'Malley is not fussy about how he wins the bantamweight title back. On the "Believe You Me" podcast, the former champion said he will take the rematch with Petr Yan any way it comes — knockout, decision, or the one result nobody is supposed to want.
"I'm going to try to win them all, but I'll take a KO, I'll take a decision, I'll take a robbery. Give me however I can get it, let me get it," O'Malley said.
The joke lands because of the first fight. O'Malley edged out Yan in a Fight of the Night battle at UFC 280 in October 2022, winning a split decision that many scored for Yan — all 26 media scorecards tracked by MMA Fighting favoured the Russian, and two of the three judges gave the opening round to O'Malley, the third to Yan. The result has been argued about ever since, and O'Malley knows it. He is leaning into it.
"I've got to make sure I win that first round and then the second round, and then I've got to make sure I win the third round, and the fourth round, and the fifth round," he said. "The first round with me and Petr was close. Round 2, he won. Round 3, I won."
Yan is the champion now, and the reason O'Malley's case is live. The Russian (21-5) retained the belt at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, rallying past Merab Dvalishvili in their trilogy bout after losing the first two rounds. O'Malley (20-3) lost twice to Dvalishvili in title fights, so a Yan win is what reopened his road to the belt. He is coming off a decision win over Song Yadong earlier this year — and he holds a previous win over both men in the argument, Yan and Song alike.
"Petr Yan is a savage," O'Malley said. "I've always looked at Petr as one of the most scary guys in the division. When I look at like the most difficult guy in the division, for me, it's Merab. Merab is the most difficult. The most scary guy in the division is Petr Yan. He's a little terminator."
He says he has been ready since the White House card. "I've been locked in since the White House card. I've known Petr Yan is a potential matchup. I knew him vs. Merab was next. It was a matter of whenever that happens, it's going to happen. So I'm locked in. I'm not in training camp by any means. I'm 162 (pounds), eating good, but we're locked in."
He also knows what is coming. O'Malley expects Yan to wrestle him in the rematch — the one thing Yan does not usually do. "I know what I need to do to beat Petr Yan. I need to outstrike him. He's going to wrestle. Petr Yan, his game plan's not to go in there and wrestle anybody unless it's 'Suga,'" he said. "He can wrestle. He took Merab down. ... So it's going to be a sick kickboxing fight with some sweet wrestling scrambles."
No fight is announced. Song Yadong is making his own case for the shot, and the UFC has not named Yan's first defence. But O'Malley told Daniel Cormier's podcast last week that the decision is already made in his mind: "Me versus Petr is happening next. It just is. I refuse to believe otherwise." Now he has added the terms: however it comes, he will take it.
