O’Malley is eager to run it back with Petr Yan after
knocking out Aiemann
Zahabi at
UFC Freedom 250.
Yan, the current
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion, and
former champion Merab
Dvalishvili are expected to square off in a trilogy fight next,
and O’Malley, who has a win over Yan, wants to take on the
Russian.
Sean O’Malley Talks Petr Yan Rematch After UFC Freedom 250
“I’ve been hearing Petr and Merab are going to fight for a long
time — still nothing booked,” O’Malley told Kamaru
Usman 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.”
O’Malley admitted that if Yan is dealing with injuries, he should
take more time before facing Merab. “You can’t fight Merab on
half-a**ed camps,” he added. “You need a full, full camp. You need
to be fully healthy to fight Merab, and Petr probably knows
that.”
“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,” he
said. “I think it’s the biggest one you could possibly make right
now, and the UFC would be risking it by making Merab vs. Petr.”
Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili Rivalry
Despite his past record against Dvalishvili, O’Malley remains
confident that he can still beat the Georgian. “Part of me, I do
really — I know truly I can beat Merab… I know I can beat Merab,
and I know if I go out there and beat Merab, then I’m undefeated.
I’ll have beaten everyone I ever fought.”
“The only guy I’ve ever lost to is Merab — the first fight was
closer than people think, and the second fight he got me out of
there,” O’Malley said. “I know I can beat him, and it would be huge
for my career.”