"Once Sean O'Malley starts walking people down, there's not a lot of people in the world that are gonna beat him" - Anthony Smith breaks down Sean O'Malley's 'big jump' in competition against Petr Yan
UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith recently gave his prediction for the upcoming clash between Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan. He insisted that 'Sugar' would be almost unstoppable if he was a little more aggressive in the octagon.
'Lionheart' saw his title aspirations come to a halt when his three-fight win-streak was derailed last time out. Despite promising to give Magomed Ankalaev a real fight, Smith suffered a broken ankle and struggled to implement his game plan for the remainder of the bout.
Sharing his thoughts on the upcoming bantamweight brawl, Anthony Smith gave props to O'Malley's style. He claimed that 'Sugar' could cause major problems to opponents if he made a small adjustment to his style:
"Sean O'Malley doesn't like to go first. The only time you really see him attacking people and really going first... is when he's already hurt people countering or he's got someone shying away from him who's already afraid of him a little bit, or someone who's having a hard time with the range and they don't want to engage..."
He added:
"Once Sean O'Malley starts walking people down, there's not a lot of people in the world that are going to beat him, because that's just where he's best at."
However, the Nebraska-native did go on to claim Petr Yan is one of the men who wouldn't be phased out by the prospects striking. He admitted that the Russian wouldn't shy away from engaging against O'Malley.
"Petr Yan is not that guy, though. He's not gonna shy away, he's not gonna get hit hard and not engage anymore, he's not gonna be tentative from the outside... I want to credit Sean O'Malley for taking that big of a jump in competition, [but] I would favor Petr Yan."
Check out everything Anthony Smith had to say about the high-level 135lb war in the video below:
Will Sean O'Malley beat Petr Yan?
The 27-year-old bantamweight is known for being able to use his height and reach to his advantage. He uses unorthodox striking to outwork his opponents in the cage.
Meanwhile, Petr Yan is a dog inside the cage. He mixes his tight boxing technique with spinning attacks, kicks, and sweeps to overwhelm those who dare to stand in his range.
Despite being one of the most fascinating to watch, O'Malley's durability is something that remains to be questioned. If he has trouble sustaining damage, he will have a very tough time competing against the heavy-hitting Russian.