O’Malley Targets Yan Rematch At The White House
Sean O’Malley wants a title rematch against UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan at the UFC’s White House event on June 14.
The bantamweight division has shifted after Yan dethroned Merab Dvalishvili via a unanimous decision at UFC 323. The win avenged Yan’s loss in the first fight, while also ending Merab’s 14-fight winning streak. O’Malley had suffered back-to-back losses to Dvalishvili. A matchup with Yan offers a narrative of redemption. Sean beat Yan in 2022 in a split decision in a fight where many had Petr winning. However, O’Malley must first successfully navigate his return to the Octagon at UFC 324 on January 24, 2026. He will face Song Yadong. If he comes through that, Sean wants a title shot.
Instagram: sugasean
“When Petr beat Merab, I got a whole new level of just like, mental switch and hunger. I’m gonna go out there and beat Song and then me vs Petr at the White House. I just don’t see any other (fight) and I could be wrong, it just makes sense… Who else are they gonna have on the White House? (Alex) Pereira’s not on the card, Ilia (Topuria) is not gonna be on the card. Conor (McGregor), who knows? Jon Jones supposedly isn’t gonna be on the card. Who the f— else are they gonna have?” O’Malley said
The Approach
Instagram: sugasean
O’Malley’s objective will be to exploit his 5-inch reach and 4-inch height advantage over Yan. In their first bout, Sean found success by using his feints to draw out Yan’s high guard and then finding the target with straight lefts and knees. Against Yan, he doesn’t need to be an elite offensive wrestler; he just needs to be “ungrappable” enough to force Yan back into a kickboxing match where Sean’s reach is a massive hurdle.
Instagram: archangl_michael and petr_yan, @ufceurasia
In his title win over Dvalishvili at UFC 323, Yan showed a much more aggressive, well-rounded version of himself. Against O’Malley, Yan’s goal would be to use a high, tight boxing guard and heavy calf kicks to immobilize Sean’s footwork. In their first fight, Yan successfully took O’Malley down six times, proving that Sean’s frame is susceptible to well-timed double legs and body locks. Although Yan controlled the bout in the first fight, O’Malley landed the bigger shots.
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