"I think he just forgets about it" - Curtis Blaydes identifies the hole in Sean O'Malley's style that he needs to fix to prevent Petr Yan from gaining advantage at UFC 280
Curtis Blaydes has explained what ‘Sugar’ Sean O'Malley needs to rectify ahead of his all-important clash against former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280.
In an edition of MMA Pros Pick with James Lynch, Blaydes suggested that ‘Sugar’ ought to improve his defensive striking skills. ‘Razor’ asserted that Yan is an incredibly technical fighter and that O’Malley can’t rely just on his speed like he’s done against most other fighters. Blaydes stated:
“O’Malley has the offense to hang with Yan, but sometimes his defense isn’t there. I think he just forgets about it, or I think he just overly relies on his speed. He is very fast, but that’s a dangerous game.
"He’s going against Petr Yan. And I think Yan will be able to capitalize on that – almost few mistakes – because he is technically sound all the way, like, in every position. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him out of position.”
Presently, Curtis Blaydes is ranked No.4 in the UFC heavyweight division. The heavyweight mainstay has lately been lobbying for a fight against the winner of the Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa matchup that’ll transpire at UFC Paris on September 3.
Watch Blaydes discuss the topic at 2:26 in the video below:
‘Sugar’ Sean O'Malley labels himself as the best MMA striker in the UFC, previews UFC 280 fight with Petr Yan
The No.13-ranked bantamweight Sean O’Malley is scheduled to face the No.1-ranked Petr Yan at UFC 280 on October 22nd. It’s believed that a win over Yan could earn the fan-favorite O’Malley a bantamweight title shot.
During an appearance on episode 416 of Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, O’Malley expressed his confidence heading into UFC 280.
‘Sugar’ proclaimed himself as the best MMA striker in the UFC. Additionally, he highlighted that he’s looking forward to a high-level kickboxing match against fellow striking savant Yan.
Sean O'Malley indicated that should ‘No Mercy’ try to wrestle with him, he’ll utilize his Jiu-Jitsu skills and choke him out. Furthermore, alluding to the lack of wrestling in his last fight against Pedro Munhoz, O’Malley said:
“I thought maybe against the Pedro [Munhoz] fight, I thought he would try to wrestle a little bit more... This fight is going to be a sweet kickboxing match. Petr says he's a master of boxing. I believe I'm the best MMA striker in the UFC.”
Watch Sean O'Malley’s podcast appearance in the video below: