Sean O'Malley could find himself in line for another title shot after UFC 333.
UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) defends his title against Merab Dvalishvili (21-2 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the Oct. 24 co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (Paramount+).
Former champion O'Malley (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) suffered two title losses to Dvalishvili, and holds a win over Yan at UFC 280. That's why a Yan win is vital for O'Malley's title aspirations.
"It would be nice (if Yan wins)," O'Malley told UFC on Paramount+. "If Merab goes out there and wins, I would love to get that trilogy, but it's not what the fans want. No one's super interested in that fight right now, so that definitely wouldn't be probably the plan if Merab wins. It would be a great
birthday present if Petr goes out there and wins."
Yan dethroned Dvalishvili at UFC 323. Their rematch had two narratives: Dvalishvili's overactivity vs. Yan coming in healthy this time after competing with a broken hand in the first fight, which he lost in dominant fashion. O'Malley is leaning toward the latter.
"That's how good Petr Yan is," O'Malley said. "Most people's favorite fighter's favorite fighter is Petr Yan. He's sick, he's skilled, he's a little terminator, he's fun to watch. I think this just shows how good Petr Yan is, and I think it was a little bit of a mistake for Merab – not even a mistake, but fighting four title fights? Those weight cuts are brutal. Those weight cuts are not good for our bodies at all. To do it four times in 12 months is insane. So I think it was a little bit of both, but I do think Petr is just that good."
O'Malley questions Dvalishvili's confidence after lopsided losses in the cage and wrestling mats – which is why he's leaning towards Yan to retain his title.
"He got his ass kicked in a title fight and then he gets pinned in (36) seconds against Henry Cejudo, so where's his confidence at? That's what I want to know," O'Malley said. "Confidence is such a big thing. I know for my fights coming up, confidence was such a huge reason I did what I did, so I'd be curious where Merab's confidence is at. He just got his ass kicked for the first time. I don't remember Merab ever getting his ass kicked like that. Then he gets pinned in 36 seconds.
"Skill-wise, he's great. He's excellent. But a lot of this game is mental, so we'll see. Man, I think it's going to be hard to go out there and beat Petr. If we didn't see what happened last fight, I would be like, 'Merab’s gas tank is crazy.' Petr's gas tank is crazy. He beat Merab in the later rounds, broke Merab, so it's hard not to go with Petr right now. Merab is one of those guys you can't count out ever, but I just think skill-for-skill, Petr is better and it's going to be whoever shows up healthier. Merab's dealing with that nose, so I'm leaning towards Petr."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean O'Malley sees 'skill for skill' advantage in Yan vs. Dvalishvili at UFC 333
