"Moments like this are what create superstars" - Sean O'Malley reveals he accepted "massive" Petr Yan fight seconds after the UFC offered it to him
‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley has revealed that he accepted a fight against former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan as soon as it was offered to him. O’Malley faced perennial bantamweight elite Pedro Munhoz earlier this month, but the fight ended in a no contest after an eye poke from ‘Sugar’ rendered Munhoz unable to continue.
Many believe that the Montana-born fighter made a miscalculation by agreeing to fight Yan. In his latest interview with Full Send MMA, O’Malley was asked why he chose to accept a fight against the formidable opponent. He responded by stating:
“People are saying how good Petr is and how he’s this little Russian killer and all that stuff. I mean, they’re right. I’m the first one to admit it. Petr is as good as they come. But, I’ve been training for 11 years for moments like this. I wanna be a superstar, and moments like this are what create superstars. Me going out there and putting Petr’s lights out in Abu Dhabi, October 22nd — that’s where superstars are created.”
An unfortunate ending to this one.
@PedroMunhozmma vs. @SugaSeanMMA ends in a no-decision due to an unintentional eye poke.
#UFC276 https://t.co/ESrUXWHtff
Furthermore, O’Malley insinuated that he only wants to test his skills against top-ranked fighters, stating:
“And now, they offered me Petr Yan, and I accepted it within seconds. They called me like, ‘Hey, what do you think?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, I want that fight.'”
‘Sugar’ highlighted the long-running back-and-forth between him and Petr Yan, adding that he’s been calling for a fight against Yan for quite some time. He noted that his last fight against Munhoz wasn’t entertaining.
O’Malley claimed that he hasn’t been able to showcase the true extent of his skills against any of his opponents, including Munhoz. Speaking of which, he opined that fighting Yan would bring the best out of him. O’Malley expects to have several wars with the Russian fighter in the years to come.
Watch O’Malley discuss the topic at 6:10 in the video below:
What’s at stake for Sean O’Malley at UFC 280?
Sean O’Malley is scheduled to face Petr Yan in a pivotal bantamweight matchup at UFC 280 on October 22. Presently, O’Malley is ranked No.13 in the bantamweight division, whereas Yan holds the No.1 spot.
Furthermore, Yan is coming off a razor-thin split decision loss in a UFC bantamweight title unification matchup against reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 in April.
Considering the aforementioned factors, it’d be safe to say that a win over Yan would surely catapult O’Malley into the bantamweight title picture. Alternatively, beating a superstar like ‘Sugar’ could help Yan reclaim his lost momentum and work his way back to a title shot.