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UFC 280: Conor McGregor & MMA Twitter react to head scratching Sean O’Malley win over Petr Yan

By Thomas Albano

MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter Conor McGregor walks in the pit area after the qualifying session at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, ahead of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, on May 28, 2022. (Photo by CHRISTIAN BRUNA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN BRUNA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter Conor McGregor walks in the pit area after the qualifying session at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, ahead of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, on May 28, 2022. (Photo by CHRISTIAN BRUNA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN BRUNA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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There weren’t many people who agreed with the judges’ decision to give Sean O’Malley the win over Petr Yan at UFC 280 — Conor McGregor included

Even if he didn’t win and earn the next bantamweight title shot, the stock of Sean O’Malley wasn’t going to go down after his bout with Petr Yan at UFC 280.

However, two judges saw the bout in his favor and gave him the win over the former UFC bantamweight champion — but it was far from a popular decision.

Yan pressured O’Malley early on in the fight and had a couple of takedown opportunities on O’Malley, though O’Malley tried his hand at a quick and sneaky one before the round’s end.

O’Malley appeared to rock Yan in the second round, but Yan recovered and returned the favor on O’Malley before following with another takedown. From there, Yan used his grappling to stay in control for most of the second round.

While Yan seemed to be on his way to winning the fight in the third, O’Malley busted Yan open with a big knee in the final round. Yan fired back, but O’Malley responded with a head kick. Despite a flurry of offense from O’Malley in the third, it seemed Yan did enough in the final round to lock up the win.

But it wasn’t to be, as O’Malley scored two 29-28s to get the win, send the crowd into a chorus of boos and send MMA Twitter into a rage — including one “Notorious” star in Conor McGregor.

UFC 280: Conor McGregor, MMA Twitter react to controversial Sean O’Malley upset over Petr Yan

https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1583909891407638528

This marked Yan’s first fight since unsuccessfully attempting to gain the UFC bantamweight title back from Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 in April. Yan originally claimed the championship at UFC 251 in July 2020 but lost the title to Sterling at UFC 259 — the first, and only, time a UFC title has changed hands on a disqualification.

After losing his undefeated record to Marlon Vera at UFC 252, 2021 was a rebound year for O’Malley, scoring stoppages of Thomas Almeida, Kris Moutinho and Raulian Paiva. His most recent bout at UFC 276 against Pedro Munhoz ended in a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke.

Next. UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev live results and highlights [UPDATED LIVE]. dark

UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev takes place on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.

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