T.J. Dillashaw "pretty interested" in watching Sean O'Malley against Petr Yan at UFC 280
Former two-time bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw previewed the upcoming fight between Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan during the UFC 280 pre-fight scrum.
Yan, a former undisputed and interim bantamweight champion, faces the No.11-ranked bantamweight contender Sean O'Malley on the main card of UFC 280. As the vast gap in the rankings suggests, 'Sugar' is also a betting underdog going into the fight this weekend.
According to Dillashaw, people are underestimating O'Malley's skillset. 'Lieutenant Dan' will be keeping a close eye on the fight between his fellow bantamweights:
"I think he's [Sean O'Malley] done a very good job with his career. I think people are underestimating his skill level. I'm actually pretty interested in it. He's got good range, he's got good timing, he's just got good natural abilities."
Watch T.J. Dillashaw's pre-fight media scrum below:
Petr Yan is definitely the biggest test of O'Malley's professional MMA career. He was last seen inside the octagon against Pedro Munhoz on July 2, 2022, at UFC 276. 'Sugar' accidentally poked Munhoz in the eye in the second round, rendering him unable to continue. The fight was declared a no-contest.
Sean O'Malley has an inclination that T.J. Dillashaw beats Aljamain Sterling
Sean O'Malley recently previewed the upcoming championship fight in his division between Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 this weekend.
The No.11-ranked bantamweight O'Malley has an uphill challenge when he faces Petr Yan earlier on the same card. While speaking about the outcome of the co-headliner on his YouTube channel, 'Sugar' stated that he's picking Dillashaw to emerge as the victor:
"I think T.J. gets the job done. I don't really know why... I just kind of felt like that. But I really don't f**king know. Aljo is f**king good."
O'Malley's coach Tim Welch agreed on the prediction:
"If I had to pick right now, I would say T.J. wins by decision. He shuts down the shots and has more tricks, he's a little bit more comfortable on the feet."
Watch the video below:
T.J. Dillashaw has the opportunity to make amends for the mistakes he's made in the past. He was suspended by USADA for two years after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO) prior to a flyweight title fight against Henry Cejudo in January 2019.
He returned to action after completing his suspension against Cory Sandhagen in July 2021. A year later, he will now face Aljamain Sterling in the co-main event of UFC 280 in an attempt to become a three-time bantamweight champion in the UFC.