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Joe Rogan has addressed 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley's razor-thin split decision win over former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan.
In a recent edition of The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), Rogan spoke to Sean O'Malley and opined that the split decision verdict wasn't a bad call.
O'Malley and Yan both hurt one another on the feet during their three-round bantamweight bout at UFC 280 in October. Additionally, 'No Mercy' managed to secure multiple takedowns during the fight. Meanwhile, 'Sugar' constantly attempted submissions from the bottom position. Ultimately, the closely-contested fight was scored as a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) victory for O'Malley.
Watch the podcast episode below:
Certain sections of the MMA community criticized the verdict and argued that Petr Yan was robbed on the judges' scorecards. During his conversation with Sean O'Malley, Joe Rogan suggested that 'Sugar' being taken down multiple times may have created the perception that he was outpointed by Yan.
However, the veteran UFC commentator indicated that Yan was unable to do anything significant with his takedowns, thereby alluding to 'Sugar's' impressive defensive grappling prowess. Furthermore, Joe Rogan recalled that he rewatched the fight alone, rather than with friends and other distractions, to determine whether the decision was indeed as controversial as some claimed. Rogan stated:
"I was like, 'No, that's not a bad decision.' There was one round to you in the beginning, second round to Yan, third round to you. If you look at damage done, you look at overall strikes and impact, you landed more. He definitely took you down. But how much was done with that? That's the thing. It's like, what does that count for?"
Watch Rogan and O'Malley discuss the topic in the video below:
'Sugar' Sean O'Malley on potentially fighting for the UFC bantamweight title next
Sean O'Malley bested Petr Yan on the judges' scorecards at UFC 280 last month and currently holds the No. 1 spot in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. In a subsequent interview with ESPN MMA, O'Malley shed light upon his meeting with UFC president Dana White and UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
'Sugar' notably indicated that they let him know he'll be fighting for the UFC bantamweight title next. However, since UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has expressed his desire to take some time off to recover, it's believed that O'Malley could instead fight someone else for an interim title.
Moreover, Sean O'Malley highlighted that Aljamain Sterling might defend his belt against MMA legend Henry Cejudo next. Moreover, it'd mean that 'Sugar' could face the Sterling-Cejudo winner for the UFC bantamweight title in 2023. However, nothing's been officially confirmed yet. Regardless, O'Malley said:
"I know my next fight is for the title."
Watch O'Malley's interview below:
