UFC 280: Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley preview and prediction
UFC 280: Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley preview and prediction.
The former bantamweight champion, Petr “No Mercy” Yan (16-3) will face one of the most entertaining and popular stars in the sport, “Suga” Sean O’Malley (15-1) as the third bout in the UFC 280 main card. In this dynamic three-round affair Yan will attempt to sustain his No. 1 contender spot, meanwhile, O’Malley will try and shock the world by being the second person to defeat Yan in the UFC and establish himself as the next man for the title shot.
Yan intends to put himself back into the 135-pound title picture after losing his rematch against Aljamain Sterling via a split decision earlier this year. In preparation for this fight camp, he decided to go back home to Yekaterinburg, Russia and train out of RCC Academy and transition the final stages of his training to Thailand for Tiger Muay Thai. The current number-one contender of the division has impressive wins over talented strikers such as José Aldo and Cory Sandhagen.
O’Malley is taking the biggest challenge of his career, and with a win or a finish, it can ignite his ranking and stardom into gargantuan levels. The “Suga Show” looks to bounce back after a controversial ending against Pedro Munhoz due to a no-contest from an eye poke this past July.
For O’Malley, the Munhoz matchup was supposed to be a showcase to the masses that he is ready to challenge contenders, considering he was facing the number nine-ranked fighter at the time. He has faced adversity in the past when fighting Marlon Vera by having his right leg compromised, which led him to succumb to a stoppage and his only loss.
Who will win at UFC 280: Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley?
Yan is known to start fights slow, particularly round one because he’s analyzing what his opponent’s tactics are and what they react to. The former champ might reconsider his habit of probing considering his advantage in experience against his opponent and that the fight is dictated around three rounds, but it is very unlikely. Yan will need to win rounds two and three or look for a finish in between then to win this Saturday.
O’Malley is long in size for the bantamweight division, and this remains the case in this matchup when there is a reach advantage of five inches and a difference in height of four inches. The signature of the “Suga Show” is starting the action right away with crisp striking and utilizing his tools at range until he breaks his opponents.
The majority of this matchup will consist of an MMA striking affair, in which both fighters will look to finish and make a statement considering the high implications of earning a title shot. O’Malley will have his moments early and continue to impress in spurts throughout the fight but will be faced with adversity because of Yan’s ability to close the distance with fantastic footwork to set up his high-level boxing. Yan will hurt O’Malley later on in the fight and will start by attacking the legs in hopes to comprise the movement and power.
This isn’t the first time Yan will share the octagon with a long, lanky, and talented striker, previously Cory Sandhagen, and similar to that performance Yan will demonstrate the challenge will be too much for O’Malley to overcome and walk away victorious.
Prediction: Yan via unanimous decision
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