Sean O'Malley believes he poses the biggest threat to UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan.
Yan (21-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC) retained his title by outlasting Merab Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 333 co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
O'Malley took umbrage with the broadcast acknowledging Song Yadong as a potential next title challenger instead of him. As he continues to push for a title fight against Yan, the former champ argued that he presents a different challenge than the rest.
"I don't think Petr Yan is scared of 'Suga' Sean O'Malley by any means," O'Malley said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "But I do think he looks at that fight – he remembers. That last fight, it was a close fight, it was a tough fight, and he's gotten
a lot better, I've gotten a lot better.
"I think I'm a tough stylistic matchup for Petr Yan. I do think he knows that; he recognizes that. I don't think he's scared, I don't think he will duck me or any of that, but I do think in his little Russian head that he's like, 'Ah, f*ck.' It's a different fight. I'm not 5'5. I'm not like Song or Merab. I'm not this little ball. I'm 6'3. I'm a big guy."
O'Malley edged out Yan in a close Fight of the Night battle at UFC 280 in October 2022. Yan holds a win over Song at UFC 299, and O'Malley thinks his two-straight wins over Song and Aiemann Zahabi make him the rightful No. 1 contender.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean O'Malley: UFC champ Petr Yan knows 'I'm a tough stylistic matchup'
