Sean O’Malley believes Petr Yan is avoiding him purposefully.
O’Malley hasn’t been shy in calling out the top names in the UFC bantamweight division. This includes the likes of Cody Garbrandt and Yan, both of whom are former 135-pound champions. O’Malley is hoping to eventually share the Octagon with Yan, although he’s convinced the feeling isn’t mutual.
O’Malley is set to return to action on July 10. He’ll be a part of the UFC 264 card, which will be headlined by the trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. O’Malley will be colliding with Louis Smolka.
During a recent interview with The Schmo, O’Malley said the Smolka fight came to fruition because that’s who the UFC matched him up with. He insists he wanted Yan but he feels Yan wants no part of him.
“Honestly, it was the first name that UFC offered me. I was calling out Pedro on Twitter, Dominick Cruz on Twitter, Petr Yan…you know what? I knew I wasn’t gonna get that Petr Yan fight. But maybe I was like, you never know? He might think I suck. I said, ‘Do you want a little warm-up fight before your rematch with Aljo?’ Maybe he’ll take it. But I think Petr’s a smart little dude, and he knows that I’ll probably beat his ass, and it’s probably best not to because he has a title fight waiting for him.”
Yan is hoping to get a rematch with Aljamain Sterling after their March title fight ended in a DQ. Many believed Yan was getting the better of Sterling until he landed an illegal knee to the head of a downed “Funkmaster.” Sterling couldn’t continue and was awarded the UFC Bantamweight Title via disqualification.
