Petr
Yan wants to avenge his loss against Sean
O’Malley.
Yan suffered a controversial split-decision loss against O’Malley
(19-3) in their first outing in 2022. O’Malley went on to win the
bantamweight title in his next outing and defended it only once
before losing it to Merab
Dvalishvili. Meanwhile, Yan went through the trenches for a
chance to reclaim his title and dethroned Dvalishvili at
UFC 323 this past December.
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Dvalishvili claims he has been guaranteed an immediate rematch
against Yan. While Yan acknowledges that Dvalishvili is likely to
get the next title shot, he isn’t counting out O’Malley, who
recently returned to the win column with a victory over Yadong
Song.
Yan believes he was robbed in his first loss against O’Malley. “No
Mercy” wants a chance to avenge his loss at the White House in
June. Yan suggests that “Suga” should color his hair like the
American flag to better his chances for a spot on the White House
card.
Red, White and Blue
“I know they potentially promised the rematch to Merab, but really,
it’s whoever,” Yan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I know Sean O’Malley
was talking about it as well. He said that he wants to fight at the
White House… I’m definitely keeping Sean O’Malley in mind because
it makes sense for an American to be fighting on the White House
card. So, I think what Sean
O’Malley should do is potentially recolor his hair into an
American flag. That would make it easier for him to fight at the
White House. I’m considering that to be a fight if he’s going to be
ready for it. I’m happy to do it because that last fight, that was
a poor decision by the judges.”
Dvalishvili (21-5) claimed that a White House matchup against Yan
(20-5) is unlikely, as the champion is Russian. Yan believes sports
should transcend politics, especially with a global organization
like the
UFC.