Sean O’Malley got a lot of heat over the past few days for allegedly ducking Payton Talbott, but it’s worth remembering “Suga” already has a UFC bantamweight title shot lined up if things fall into place as he hopes.
That one missing puzzle piece? 135 pound champ Petr Yan beating Merab Dvalishvili in their rubber match at UFC 333 on October 24th. That’s just over two weeks away, and O’Malley is convinced he’ll be next if the Russian beats the Georgian fighter at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Sean holds
a controversial decision win over Yan from 2022 and is one of the most bankable names at bantamweight. That has Yan looking forward to a “Suga” show if he gets past Dvalishvili too. In a new video with The MMA Guru, O’Malley shared a back and forth with “No Mercy.”
“Petr, what’s up, buddy? Hope you’re doing well,” O’Malley said in a voice note to the champ. “Hope you beat Merab so I can beat your ass again.”
“Sure, hello,” Yan replied with his own voice note. “Coming to Abu Dhabi. I smash Merab up, and you will be next.”
O’Malley admitted he’d happily duck Payton Talbott to fight Petr Yan, for obvious reasons.
“Petr goes out there and loses, let’s squabble,” he said. “Me and Payton, let’s make it happen. Petr goes out there and wins? I’m ducking [Talbott]. I’m ducking him for a tougher fight. I’m ducking him for Petr Yan.”
“I fought four of the greatest bantamweights of all time in my last seven,” O’Malley added. “Petr [Yan], Aljo [Sterling], Merab [Dvalishvili] — and I beat Merab once, so I beat all three of the greatest bantamweights of all time. I ain’t ducking!”
It all comes down to UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi: whether Petr Yan wins, and whether he makes it out of the fight uninjured. This will be Yan’s first fight of 2026 since he won the belt off Dvalishvili in December 2026. If the Russian champ’s back problems resurface, O’Malley vs. Talbott could become a realistic option once again.
