Sean O'Malley calls out Petr Yan over bantamweight holdup

Sean O'Malley wants the bantamweight division moving again and he is not hiding his frustration with champion Petr Yan.

O'Malley, who earned a statement win at the UFC White House event and holds a 2022 victory over Yan, told fans on his YouTube channel that the Russian titleholder has been inactive too long since capturing the belt from Merab Dvalishvili last December at UFC 323. Seven months without a defense has left contenders in limbo, per MMA Mania, and O'Malley is tired of waiting for the Yan-Dvalishvili rematch to materialize.

Yan recovering from two surgeries in five months

Yan underwent a nine-hour back surgery in January and a second procedure shortly after, according to his own social media posts documenting his recovery. He had been targeting a late summer return but no fight announcement has surfaced. O'Malley suggested that if the champ does not book a defense by October, he might declare himself titleholder and schedule his own fight in December.

Dvalishvili, who defended the belt four times in 2025 before losing it to Yan, recently competed at an RAF event in Georgia while the UFC title picture remains frozen. O'Malley believes the 135-pound class is on fire right now and cannot afford another year of inactivity at the top. Yan posted multiple training clips showing his rehab work with a caption reading that he is working hard and not giving up.

The bantamweight title is expected to be contested later this year once Yan receives medical clearance, though no date or venue has been confirmed by the UFC.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Sean O’Malley goes on rant after bantamweight division stalls out: ‘We need our champion back!’