If fans complained that UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley wasn’t fighting anyone who could actually fight back, that criticism ends at UFC 280. O’Malley is set to take on former bantamweight champion Petr Yan in Abu Dhabi.
News of the match-up was first reported by ESPN. O’Malley was interviewed by Ryan Clark on “DC & RC” on YouTube where the bantamweight broke the news.
O’Malley (15-1) is coming off a no contest decision when his fight with Pedro Munhoz ended prematurely due to an eye injury. An incidental eye poke suffered by Munhoz ended the bout in the second round.
Prior to that O’Malley was on a three-fight winning streak with finishes over Thomas Almeida, Kris Moutinho and Raulian Paiva, respectively.
Yan (16-3) meanwhile is coming off a decision loss in the rematch with current champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273. He holds wins over Cory Sandhagen, Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber.
UFC 280 takes place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on October 22, 2022. Currently the card stands as follows:
- Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev — For the UFC lightweight title
- Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw — For the UFC bantamweight title (Not fully official as of this post)
- Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan
- Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady
