"That knee would've put him into ONE FC or Bellator" – Sean O'Malley reacts to rumors of Petr Yan looking to leave the UFC

Sean O'Malley defeated Petr Yan via split decision at UFC 280. In light of the controversial decision, rumors are now afoot that the latter could be looking to leave the UFC. O'Malley shared his thoughts on these rumors.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, O'Malley was asked about his approach to a potential title fight against bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. The No.1-ranked bantamweight stated:

"I believe in my skill set, I think we just gotta go to a dark place. Go where we were with Petr [Yan] and that's where we beat him, but I also could drop him early. I'll always say that against anybody I fight. I could be on a 37-fight losing streak and I'll say I still could drop him in the first round. I'm dangerous in the first."

O'Malley added:

"Well, I was dangerous in the third, too. I just about took Yan's head off. I kneed him, cut him open, landed a couple flurries, threw another knee when he was up against the cage. That might've really sent him away from the UFC. I know he's talking about maybe not being in the UFC. That knee would've put him in ONE FC or Bellator."

Check out Sean O'Malley's combination below:

Watch Sean O'Malley's full comments on Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan below (starting at the 2:20:34 mark):

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Daniel Cormier claims Petr Yan could leave the UFC following controversial UFC 280 loss to Sean O'Malley

Following his controversial loss to Sean O'Malley at UFC 280, Petr Yan made his stance on the judges' decision clear. Former double champ Daniel Cormier recently revealed that the former bantamweight champion could be looking to leave the promotion following back-to-back split-decision losses.

Speaking on DC & RC, Cormier stated:

"Petr Yan is so disappointed in this decision [against O'Malley]. Petr Yan is so disappointed in the decision against 'Aljo' [Aljamain Sterling rematch] that I'm hearing word that this guy may want to look at something different down the line in terms of his career...he just doesn't feel like the organization has his back. It's crazy."

During the three-round fight, Yan was able to take O'Malley down six times, totaling nearly six minutes of ground control. O'Malley did have an 84 to 58 advantage in significant strikes, however, many felt that Yan's wrestling should have won him the fight.

Watch Daniel Cormier discuss Petr Yan's UFC future following his controversial loss below (starting at the 40:20 mark):