Chael Sonnen uses history to explain "leaps of faith" in picking Sean O'Malley to win against Petr Yan - "I'm gonna know in the first minute if my prediction has a shot of being true"
Chael Sonnen has given his prediction for the upcoming bantamweight showdown between Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan at UFC 280.
Speaking on an episode of Beyond the Fight on his YouTube channel, 'The Bad Guy' picked 'Sugar' to come out victorious. However, Sonnen believes that O'Malley's best chances against the former champion will be in the early stages of the fight.
Sonnen alluded to the fact that Yan is a slow starter and spends the first few rounds studying his opponent's patterns.
The former UFC middleweight also reflected on the performances of either man in the first round of their previous fights. Sonnen used them to deduce the conclusion that O'Malley's inability to make the most of the first round would ultimately favor Yan for the remainder of the fight.
Here's what 'The American Gangster' said:
"I'm taking some real leaps of faith in taking Sean in this one regard. I'm gonna know in the first minute if my prediction has a shot of being true... In Sean's last fight, there appeared to be a feeling-out process, there appeared to be a round that Sean was losing and there was no urgency to go out there and get it back."
Sonnen added:
"Yan in his first round with Sandhagen, now Sandhagen is a terrific fighter, but it appeared it was the reach that was the problem. Yan just couldn't get inside... but rounds two plus he figured that out."
Sonnen predicted that the fight will largely play out on the feet, although he sees the fight going to the mat once either of the two fail to find much success in the striking department.
Watch Chael Sonnen predict Petr Yan vs. Sean O'Malley below:
Sean O'Malley is confident Petr Yan will not be able to figure him out at UFC 280
Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan are set to square off on the main card of UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi tonight. 'No Mercy' will enter the bout as a heavy betting favorite, which doesn't come as a surprise considering the level of competition he's decimated throughout his career.
Yan is certainly a major step up in competition for 'Sugar'; however, the ever-so-brash O'Malley is confident in his abilities and seems determined to dispatch the Russian in their upcoming matchup.
Much like Sonnen, many believe that Yan could use the first round to figure out 'Sugar' and use the following rounds to outwork him. However, the featherweight sensation is confident that the Russian's strategy won't work against him.
During a conversation with BT Sport, here's what Sean O'Malley said when asked about Yan's usual strategy going into the bout:
"I just don't think he's gonna be able to figure me out if that's his plan - to go in there and try to figure me out in the first round and then win the second and third. I'd be very, very surprised and impressed if he could do that."
Watch Sean O'Malley discuss Petr Yan's strategy in the video below (starting at the 6:54 mark):