UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley may well make good on his long-standing prediction that he’d one day become champion. With a fight against Petr Yan around the corner at UFC 280, O’Malley declared on Michael Bisping’s YouTube channel that, should he manage to defeat the former champ, he’ll be next in line for 125-pound gold.
O’Malley claimed that the UFC “needs” him as champion. ‘“I was trying to be humble, but you’re absolutely right. I f****** beat Petr, I’m going to be the champ, I’m going to fight for the belt.
O’Malley Intent on Title Shot If He Can “Starch” Yan at UFC 280: “The UFC Needs a Champion Like Me!”
That’s what everyone wants. The UFC needs a champion like me. So yeah, you’re 100 percent right. I go out there and starch Petr, he face plants on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi, on a massive card, you’re pretty accurate in saying I’ll get the title shot. Especially with Aljo and T.J. being on that card.”
The UFC 280 fight card also features a bantamweight title fight between current champ Aljamain Sterling and former champion T.J. Dillashaw. That sets up perfect timing for the winner of Yan vs O’Malley to take on the winner of Sterling vs Dillashaw, although O’Malley acknowledged that T.J. Dillashaw probably wouldn’t want to fight him anyway.
“I’m pretty sure T.J. said he wouldn’t fight me for his title defense. There’s a couple ways you could look at that. You could look at that like he doesn’t want to fight me because he knows I’m good, or that’s pretty much the only reason I can figure out why he wouldn’t want to fight me. I’m the biggest fight in the division for anybody.”
O’Malley also had a prediction for his own fight, promising that, despite his reputation as a striker, he is “very, very confident” in his ground game. “I believe this is going to be a sweet kickboxing match.
Petr says he’s a master of boxing, I believe I’m the best MMA striker in the UFC, so I do believe it will be a very interesting, high-level kickboxing match.
I don’t think he’s coming to wrestle, and if he does, I wouldn’t mind choking him. I’m very, very confident in my jiu-jitsu. I really haven’t gotten to show it at all.”
Do you think we’ll see Sean O’Malley competing for the UFC bantamweight title next? Will he be able to take out Petr Yan, one of the most fearsome competitors on the roster? Let us know in the comments.
