Sean O'Malley calls potential Yan rematch biggest bantamweight fight ever

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 22: (L-R) Petr Yan of Russia and Sean O'Malley talk after their bantamweight fight during the UFC 280 event at Etihad Arena on October 22, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Sean O’Malley knows he might not be next for the title, but if he’s not, he thinks it’s a mistake. The UFC has too much to lose. At UFC White House, O’Malley picked up his second consecutive win, stopping Aiemann Zahabi in the second round. The win put O’Malley on the short list of title contenders at 135 pounds, but there’s just one problem: he’s not at the top. A trilogy fight between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili appears to be next, though the bout has yet to be announced, and O’Malley thinks he knows why. “I’ve been hearing Petr and Merab are going to fight, the rematch is going to happen, for a long time,” O’Malley told the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “Still nothing booked. I don’t know if it’s Merab’s nose or Petr’s back. 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 dealing with some injuries. “He’s the champ, and if he’s going to come back and rematch Merab, he needs to be — I fought Merab knowing I was getting surgery after with a torn labrum. Still, it was a close fight, and then I get the surgery and fight again seven months later, just wanting to be back, just wanting the belt back. You can’t fight Merab on half-ass camps. You need to be fully healthy to fight Merab, and Petr probably knows that, so he’s taking his time, as he should. He’s the champ, and you don’t want to go out there and lose the belt because you did something you shouldn’t do. So I get it.” Yan and Dvalishvili first fought in 2023, with Dvalishvili winning a lopsided decision. The two rematched for the bantamweight title in December, with the inverse happening. But since then, there’s been no indication of when the third fight might take place, and over the past six months, O’Malley has staked his claim for a title shot. A claim which he believes is made all the stronger by having beaten Yan back in 2022. “If they want me vs. Petr next — I do think me vs. Petr Yan 2, rematch is the biggest fight in bantamweight history,” O’Malley 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.” The biggest blocker for O’Malley is that he has a pair of losses to Dvalishvili, and should he get a title shot and reclaim the belt, a third fight with Merab is not the most appealing outcome for the UFC or for fans. But for O’Malley, that’s the fight he really wants, and he believes he could deliver a different outcome with one more crack at Dvalishvili. “Part of me, I know, truly, I can beat Merab,” O’Malley said. “I know how the last two fights went. I know I can beat Merab, and I know if I go out there and do beat Merab, I’m undefeated. I’ve beat everybody I’ve ever fought. … I know I can go out there and beat Merab, and that would be huge for my career, because then I have beat Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling, and Merab, the three greatest bantamweights of all-time. “So, that’s definitely on my radar. And I know that fight is not necessarily — no one gives a f*ck about it. No one really wants to see it. I’ve got to maybe go out there, beat Petr. There’s a way to it, but that’s kind of what’s on my mind.” TOP STORIES Fall. Conor McGregor addresses outside-the-cage issues that have plagued his career: ‘Fame has its pitfalls.’ Shade. Charles Oliveira: Conor McGregor ‘ran from me’ because he thought Max Holloway ‘was the easier path.’ Scared. ‘Tito was absolutely, 100% terrified of Chuck Liddell’: Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz reflect on epic rivalry in UFC. 155. 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Addressing my previous comments about the @DustinPoirier arrest…@RAFWrestlingUSA @drinkrab @ArmanUfc pic.twitter.com/SJk9dJyA0v — Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) June 25, 2026 President Chael? Making plans now… pic.twitter.com/rPZskyRp1t — Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) June 25, 2026 This is in Northern Ireland, but still funny. Insane sighting in Ireland yesterday pic.twitter.com/v8m9lerdYU — Dame Margera (@damienfarronMMA) June 25, 2026 Look at this man skating. The best sessions aren’t perfect, they’re together. 🛹❤️ pic.twitter.com/W2uTRHU5P6 — Marcus "Maniac" McGhee (@ManiacMcGhee07) June 25, 2026 Pretty sure this number came from you on a podcast you did. I dont browse social media but my team is telling me everyones talking about how i got paid 600k for my last fight. Eddie Hearn is saying I need to grow some balls. So im here to address it directly. 600k is crazy. I wish I made 600k in my last fight. Thats why I started… — Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) June 25, 2026 FEED ME MORE EOY. FINAL THOUGHTS UFC Baku is a pretty good card. Looking forward to it. Enjoy, and see y’all next week. EXIT POLL If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKLee of @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and like us on Facebook.

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Sean O’Malley makes his case for the first crack at Petr Yan