Sean O’Malley is back in the win column and—as far as he’s concerned—back in the No. 1 contender spot at bantamweight.
“Suga” won a unanimous decision over Song Yadong in Saturday’s UFC 324 co-main event, a result that snapped a two-fight skid for O’Malley. His previous losses both came in title fights against Merab Dvalishvili, who almost defended his 135-pound belt four times in 2025, only to fall to Petr Yan in his final attempt in December.
Yan has a history with O’Malley, with the two having met in an instant classic at UFC 280 that O’Malley won via split decision. Following the win over Song, O’Malley said in his post-fight interview that if Yan wants revenge, he’d love for them to meet in the cage again, this time with a championship on the line. And if Yan meets Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout instead, O’Malley is happy to wait for his turn.
“I’m chilling,” O’Malley said when asked at the UFC 324 post-fight press conference if he’ll book a different opponent if Yan and Dvalishvili are occupied. “If they make that fight, I’m chilling.”
Saturday’s win was O’Malley’s first since a five-round victory over Marlon Vera in March 2024 when O’Malley was champion. He lost the title to Dvalishvili and was then submitted in the rematch, which removed him from the contender equation until Dvalishvili dropped the title to Yan.
Yan’s UFC 323 triumph was one of the best performances ever by a championship challenger and O’Malley knows that if they fight a second time, it will require a different level of preperation.
“Yeah, he looked really good,” O’Malley said of Yan. “I’m going to have to show up ready to go five rounds, focused, improve outside of camp. Petr Yan is the champ for a reason. He’s one of my favorite fighters to watch, so I’d love to compete against him again. But yeah, I’d have to have a really good camp and show up and put on an O.G. ‘Suga’ performance.”
Another name that O’Malley is frequently tied to is top contender Cory Sandhagen. “The Sandman” fell short in his attempt to dethrone Dvalishvili and UFC 320, so he’s currently available to take on another name in the rankings, possibly O’Malley.
Asked about that possibility, O’Malley deflected the question while stealing an oft-repeated line from boss Dana White.
“At the end of the day, UFC makes the fights,” O’Malley said. “So we’ll see what they say. We don’t do matchmaking until Tuesday.”
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