Sean O'Malley willing to wait for Petr Yan title rematch

Sean O'Malley is prepared to sit out for a bantamweight title shot if it means securing a rematch with current champion Petr Yan.

O'Malley stopped Aiemann Zahabi in the second round at UFC White House earlier this month, putting himself back in the title picture at 135 pounds. But with Yan still needing to settle unfinished business against Merab Dvalishvili in a projected trilogy bout, the former champion told MMA Fighting he has no problem waiting for his chance.

O'Malley calls Yan rematch the biggest bantamweight fight ever

The two first met at UFC 280 in 2022, when O'Malley took a controversial split decision over Yan. That victory led to a title fight with Aljamain Sterling, which O'Malley won, followed by a successful defense against Marlon Vera. O'Malley currently considers the Vera fight the biggest in division history by the numbers, but he believes a second meeting with Yan would top it. "I would love to hear someone's argument," he said, per MMA Fighting. "I think me vs. Chito is the biggest fight as of now. As far as numbers, gate, that was the biggest bantamweight fight in history. I think me vs. Petr would beat that."

Yan has been sidelined since December following back surgery after winning the belt. The trilogy with Dvalishvili is expected to happen before year's end, which would clear the path for O'Malley's next title shot.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Sean O’Malley willing to wait for title shot, calls rematch with Petr Yan the biggest bantamweight fight in history