Sean O’Malley believes that if he were to run it back against Petr Yan, it would be the biggest fight in UFC bantamweight history.
O’Malley scraped past Yan via split decision when they met at UFC 280 back in 2022. The results helped him earn a title shot against Aljamain Sterling, and he went on to knock “Funkmaster” out and win the belt.
Yan, who had previously lost the belt to Sterling, became champion once again at UFC 323 last December when he dethroned Merab Dvalishvili.
A rematch between Yan and Dvalishvili is believed to be in the works, although rumors of injuries to one or both fighters seem to be holding things up.
O’Malley, who is fresh off a knockout win over Aiemann Zahabi at the recent White House event, suggested that he might step in and face Yan again.
"I've been hearing Petr and Merab are going to fight for a long time – still nothing booked," O'Malley said on the "Pound 4 Pound" podcast. "I don't know if it's Merab's nose or Petr's back. It sucks. 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 just dealing with some injuries.
“He's the champ, and if he's going to come back (against) Merab – 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 Merab again seven months later, just wanting to be back, just wanting the belt back.
"You can't fight Merab on half-assed camps. You need a full, full camp. You need to be fully healthy to fight Merab, and Petr probably knows that. So he's taking his time, as he should. He is the champ. You don't want to go out there and lose the belt because you did something you shouldn't do, so I get it. But also, if they want me vs. Petr next, I do think me vs. Petr Yan 2, rematch, is the biggest fight in bantamweight history. I think it's the biggest one you could possibly make right now, and the UFC would be risking (it) making Merab vs. Petr."
