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Ahead of their highly-anticipated matchup next month, Sean O'Malley revealed a handful of messages exchanged between himself and upcoming opponent Petr Yan.
Despite fighting somebody outside the top 10, the No. 1-ranked bantamweight expects to earn an instant shot at UFC gold if he comes away from UFC 280 with his hands raised. After losing his throne due to an illegal knee, the 135lber failed to recapture it during his rematch with Aljamain Sterling back in April.
During an episode of his Bromalley show, Sean O'Malley opened up on a string of DMs he traded back-and-forth with Petr Yan. This occurred as the two got heated in the buildup to their collision on October 22.
"Petr Yan, he messaged me. Let's see what little Petr said... So I posted my countdown that I post every once in a while, every four days, and he said, 'You are sleeping 'Sugar', I'll wake you up.' I said, 'How are those ladyboys over there in Thailand, they're more suitable for your image, buddy... I talked to Dana, he said we can weigh in at 145.' He said, 'Don't be afraid. Most importantly, be there.'"
This isn't the first exchange the two have had. Both O'Malley and Yan have been embroiled in a social media feud ever since 'Sugar' began gaining traction early into his UFC career.
The bantamweights will compete on the main card at UFC 280 next month. The event is headlined by a lightweight title fight involving Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. The co-headliner will feature Aljamain Sterling hoping to defend his strap against the dangerous T.J. Dillashaw.
Check out O'Malley discussing the strange DM's here:
Does Sean O'Malley deserve a title shot with a win over Petr Yan?
Although his most recent outing against Pedro Munhoz ended via accidental eye poke, Sean O'Malley is heading into this bout on a four-fight unbeaten streak. Is that enough to warrant him a title shot?
His first-round TKO of Raulian Paiva—who then occupied the #15 spot in the bantamweight division—earned the 27-year-old his first win over a ranked opponent.
The other two times O'Malley has been tasked with facing top 15 caliber fighters, he is yet to win (though Chito Vera wasn't top 15 at the time). This leaves fans questioning whether he's cut out to compete with the elite at 135lbs.
While his resume could be much better, a win over the #1-ranked fighter in the division should be enough to earn the star a shot at UFC gold. Especially if he manages to end it in his usual showstopping manner.
