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Sean O'Malley faces his toughest test against Petr Yan in a bantamweight bout on UFC 280's main card later this month.
The matchup is considered by many as a mismatch owing to the disparity in the two fighters' rankings. O'Malley is No.12 on the ladder, while former champion Yan is the No.1 contender.
Former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo was asked by a fan about his thoughts on 'Sugar' during a YouTube livestream. He responded:
"Yeah, I mean, I think we all know man. There's things that Sean does do right but look what he did. He's ranked number what? 13? Skips the line, all the way to fight Petr Yan. I mean, that's gonna be interesting. When he fought Chito, he just couldn't beat a guy like Chito. It even changes when you get to top five and then top three, so it's different. A hundred percent, he's a hype train."
'Triple C' referred to Sean O'Malley's toughest opponent so far, Marlon Vera. The two faced off in the co-main event of UFC 252 back in 2020. O'Malley was stopped via TKO int he first round after a kick from 'Chito' caused a case of drop foot.
The American's only other opponent who currently sits in the rankings was Pedro Munhoz, but the fight ended prematurely due to an eye poke O'Malley delivered to the Brazilian in round two.
Watch Henry Cejudo's full livestream on YouTube:
Marlon Vera is confident that the UFC will not pass over him for Sean O'Malley
Marlon Vera is one of the most in-form men in the bantamweight division. Vera not only has a win against Sean O'Malley, but he also boasts victories over former champions Dominick Cruz and Frankie Edgar.
'Chito' is on a four-fight win streak and trusts the UFC matchmakers not to overlook that statistic when they decide who the next challenger for the belt will be. In an interview on Submission Radio, Vera spoke about Sean O'Malley, saying:
"Well, there's nothing I can really do, right? I can get mad, I can say 'F**k you,' I can say 'Release me,' but it's just the way of fights. Even if he wins, you know, they want to skip me like you know they can't. They could but I just feel like they will take care of me. I feel that way. I feel like even if he wins and I win my next, even if I don't have another fight. I feel like I'm possible fight for the belt."
The bantamweight belt will be on the line at UFC 280 when Aljamain Sterling defends it against former champion TJ Dillashaw.
Watch Marlon Vera's full interview with Submission Radio:
