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Bantamweights
#1 BW | Petr Yan (16-3, 9-2 UFC) vs. #11 BW | Sean O’Malley (15-1, 7-1 UFC)Advertisement
The bantamweight division apparently is not Yan’s to rule just yet. “No Mercy” went from promotional newcomer to UFC champion in just two years with his win over Jose Aldo to take the vacant title, and the frightening thing was just how inevitable it all seemed. Just 25 when he made his first trip to the Octagon to take on Teruto Ishihara in 2018, Yan was already battle-tested against strong competition and fully formed at a level rarely seen of fighters so young. Fighting behind a clear process of feeling out his opponents and turning on the pressure, Yan made things double exciting by turning into an absolute buzzsaw of violence once he got going. Once Yan hit a certain level, he seemed invincible with his combination of being able to read his opponents and making them pay for everything they do. Fight after fight reached a point where a Yan win felt certain, which in turn led to a sense that the Russian would reign over things at 135 pounds for years to come. Naturally, Yan lost his title in his first defense in perhaps the dumbest way possible; his fight with Aljamain Sterling had clearly passed the inflection point where Yan had all the momentum, and with what felt like another inevitable victory well in hand, he gathered himself and knowingly kneed a downed opponent in the head. He knocked Sterling out with an illegal blow and cost himself the championship via disqualification. Sterling’s injuries resulted in a 13-month layoff, which made for a bizarre atmosphere in the meantime. Yan was clearly considered the best bantamweight in the world and the uncrowned champion, particularly after winning an interim belt by stifling what seemed to be a particularly tough challenge in Cory Sandhagen. Then came the Sterling rematch, which saw the two essentially fight to a draw. Either thinking he could pick up where he left off or just fighting with some atypical emotion, Yan came out wild and aggressive, allowing Sterling to bank some rounds with the wrestling and grappling that was a non-factor in their first fight. The end result was a contentious decision that saw Sterling walk away with the win and the title, so Yan is surprisingly left to storm his way back to a belt it never seemed like he was going to lose. Yan is highly regarded enough that it figures to be a short trip back to top challenger status, but he will need wins just like anyone else. That all adds up to a high risk-reward proposition here, as he is clearly the biggest test yet for O’Malley.
It is a bit of a surprise to see the UFC throw O’Malley into the deep end, if only for the care it has shown in building him up and how his last few steps in competition have gone. O’Malley was a standout of the first edition of Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2017, both in terms of showing some charisma and proving himself as an exciting knockout artist. It quickly became apparent that the UFC was fully in the O’Malley business, giving him prominent card placing and winnable fights. That all nearly fell apart just as soon as it began. A foot injury suffered in his second UFC win against Andre Soukhamthath kept O’Malley out of action for a while, and he had his career railroaded by USADA upon his return, all adding up to a two-year layoff. At the very least, O’Malley put in the work during his time off to clearly become a much more effective striker and knockout artist upon his return, but even as he has been able to raise his profile and cultivate a fanbase, the results have been worrying whenever “Sugar Sean” has faced a higher level of competition. What figured to be a 2020 breakout against Marlon Vera instead turned into a high-profile showcase for the Ecuadorian, who chopped O’Malley down until another leg injury took him out of the fight. That led to a 2021 full of obvious showcase fights before O’Malley’s other tough test to date against Pedro Munhoz, which also lined up with being the other rough showing of his career. Munhoz eschewed his usual mindless aggression and, like Vera, focused on kicking O’Malley’s legs—a move that seemed to absolutely flummox the MMA Lab product into relative inactivity before an eye poke ended the fight in a no contest. That does not particularly bode well against a fighter as smart and violent as Yan, though it will be interesting to see if O’Malley can rise up to the moment. Given Yan’s tendency towards slow starts, there is a sliver of hope that O’Malley can be tricky and dangerous enough to find some early success. However, Yan seems impossible to knock out, and the dynamics suggest that when this one turns in his favor, it will turn badly. Even if Yan does not end this in a complete obliteration, there is also the worry that O’Malley might be thrown out of his rhythm enough that his body betrays him once again. The pick is Yan via second-round knockout.
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Oliveira vs. Makhachev
Sterling vs. Dillashaw
Yan vs. O’Malley
Gamrot vs. Dariush
Fiorot vs. Chookagian
The Prelims
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