O'Malley calls Yan rematch 'biggest fight in bantamweight history' after UFC White House stoppage

Sean O’Malley strengthened his bantamweight title credentials at UFC White House by stopping Aiemann Zahabi in the second round, then immediately lobbied for a rematch with champion Petr Yan — a fight he called the biggest in 135-pound history.

The finish was O’Malley’s second consecutive victory and placed him firmly among the division’s leading contenders. The obstacle is that a trilogy bout between Yan and Merab Dvalishvili appears to be the preferred next step, though nothing has been formally announced. O’Malley believes the delay is down to Yan managing a physical issue.

“I’ve been hearing Petr and Merab are going to fight, the rematch is going to happen, for a long time,” O’Malley told the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “Still nothing booked. I don’t know if it’s Merab’s nose or Petr’s back. One of those guys is obviously holding it up, and I don’t think it’s Merab. I think Merab would fight with his arm cut off. So I think Petr is probably dealing with some injuries.”

O’Malley was sympathetic to Yan’s caution, noting his own experience of fighting Dvalishvili through a torn labrum before losing a close decision. “You can’t fight Merab on half-ass camps,” he said. “You need to be fully healthy to fight Merab, and Petr probably knows that, so he’s taking his time, as he should.”

Yan and Dvalishvili first met in 2023, with Dvalishvili winning a lopsided decision. Their December rematch produced the opposite result, with Yan claiming the bantamweight title. A third fight has yet to be scheduled, and O’Malley — who defeated Yan back in 2022 — argues that history makes him the more compelling opponent.

“I do think me vs. Petr Yan 2, rematch is the biggest fight in bantamweight history,” O’Malley said. “I think it’s the biggest one you could possibly make right now, and the UFC would be risking [it by] making Merab vs. Petr.”

The complication in O’Malley’s argument is a pair of losses to Dvalishvili. Should he win the title and face Merab for a third time, the UFC would be revisiting a matchup that has twice gone against O’Malley — not the most commercially attractive scenario. O’Malley, however, insists he has learned enough from those defeats to change the outcome.

“Part of me, I know, truly, I can beat Merab,” he said. “I know how the last two fights went. I know I can beat Merab, and I know if I go out there and do beat Merab, I’m undefeated. I’ve beat everybody I’ve ever fought.”