"Thinking Sean O'Malley is getting thrown to the wolves is crazy"– Michael Bisping's shock prediction of O'Malley-Yan
Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan are set to meet at UFC 280 in one of the most highly anticipated three-round fights this year. Former UFC middleweight champion and current mixed martial arts analyst Michael Bisping shared his prediction for the bantamweight matchup.
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Although O'Malley will enter UFC 280 as a heavy underdog, Bisping believes he will defeat Yan:
"I think all those people that think Sean O'Malley's getting thrown to the wolves are crazy because I think Sean wins. I really do. Number one, I think the fact that it's a three round fight will go in his favor. I don't see Sean stopping him. I don't see that at all, but I do see Sean winning a decision."
Bisping added that O'Malley will have to weather the storm against Yan, particularly in the later rounds. The former UFC middleweight champ also shared why he believes O'Malley will win:
"I think he's gonna frustrate him with his footwork, with his movement, with his elusiveness, with his speed, and his straight shots. Petr Yan's going to have some success, of course, the man's a former champion and he's going to be a tough fight... O'Malley has to be perfectly locked in and focused and dialed in the entire time."
Watch Michael Bisping discuss Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan below (starting at the 6:07 mark):
Sean O'Malley doesn't believe Petr Yan will be able to figure him out
There has been a lot of speculation on how the upcoming fight between Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan will play out. While many expect Yan to dominate the fight, his opponent disagrees.
Speaking with Nick Peet of BT Sport, O'Malley stated:
"I think it's going to be a 15 minute sprint. I think he's going to come out there, try to prove a point that I don't belong in there with him, and he's gonna go pedal to the metal and try to get me out of there and I feel the same way. I feel like he's gonna have a very, very tough time 'downloading data' on me. I just don't think he's gonna be able to figure me out."
Although Yan is generally a slow starter, he will need to apply pressure early. Losing the first round in a three-round fight could spell trouble for the former bantamweight champion.
Watch Sean O'Malley discuss Petr Yan's strategy below (starting at the 6:54 mark):