"He didn't put his actions where his words were"– Petr Yan reveals he had agreed to fight Marlon Vera, says 'Chito' didn't "really" want to take him on

Petr Yan is set to face Sean O'Malley at UFC 280 in a matchup that many believe will determine the next bantamweight title challenger. Yan recently revealed that he was ready to fight Marlon Vera, but 'Chito' didn't want to wait to make the fight happen.

As announced on DC & RC, @PetrYanUFC will take on @SugaSeanMMA at #UFC280 🍿

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Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Yan shared the details that prevented him from facing Vera. The No.1-ranked bantamweight stated:

"There were talks about me fighting Chito Vera. I accepted the fight...I wanted to fight in September, but he wanted to fight in August and he couldn't wait a few weeks to fight me so it means he didn't put his actions where his words were at. If he really wanted to fight me he would've waited for me."

Yan then interrupted his translator, adding:

"Three weeks - it's not very long time if you want a fight with first contender, number one rank. It was a problem [from] his end."

Yan shared that despite Vera's negative comments about him, he isn't worried about the No.5-ranked bantamweight. Instead, he is focused on his upcoming fight with O'Malley, currently the No.12-ranked bantamweight.

Watch Petr Yan discuss facing Marlon Vera below (starting at the 2:08:56 mark):

Sean O'Malley disagrees with betting odds in matchup against Petr Yan

Petr Yan will enter his UFC 280 matchup against Sean O'Malley as a heavy betting favorite. Due to the wide margin between the two combatants' rankings as well as the level of opponents they've faced, oddsmakers believe that Yan will easily get past his opponent. O'Malley recently shared that he doesn't believe the odds reflect how close the matchup is going to be.

Here are the opening odds for Petr Yan vs. Sean O'Malley:

Petr Yan -400 (1/4)
Sean O’Malley +300 (3/1)

(odds via @betonline_ag) 👀 #UFC280 https://t.co/LVfOqwDqii

During a recent appearance on DC & RC, O'Malley stated:

"To the casual, to the dummy, the odds seem about right, but to an expert, to a high level fighter, someone with a high level IQ, I think that the odds would be a lot closer. I've heard a lot of the pros talk about it, they're not necessarily counting me out."

O'Malley, who added that he expects to defeat Yan, will be the underdog for the first time in his mixed martial arts career. 'Sugar' claimed that being expected to lose has lit a fire underneath him, giving him extra motivation as he enters what figures to be his toughest matchup to date.

Watch Sean O'Malley discuss Petr Yan being heavily favored at UFC 280 below (starting at the 31:23 mark):