Former UFC men’s bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is looking to retake the title against Aljamain Sterling this October, but on the same UFC 280 card, former champion Petr Yan and rising star Sean O ‘Malley had another big matchup at 135 pounds.
From a ranking standpoint, it’s a huge leap for No. 13 O’Malley, who will compete with the No. 1 contender in a crowded division Elite fighters. Sean Shelby approached UFC president Dana White for the reservation, even catching him off guard. Dillashaw shared White’s reaction in an interview with MMA Junkie.
“Yeah, absolutely surprised (of the bookings),” Dillashaw said. “O’Malley has never done anything against someone like Petr Yan other than hype himself. He does have a lot of fans, he does have a lot of hype, and he goes out of his way to do it. Part of the sport is Being a salesman, he does it well.
O’Malley (15-1, 1 NC) is coming off a game with no game. Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276, after Munhoz was unable to continue due to eye poking. The 28-year-old has dazzled for most of his UFC career, under Thomas Almeida, Eddie Wyatt Enlan and Laurian Paiva scored impressive goals in the suspension, but he did not win against his current top-ranked opponents.
NO Unsurprisingly, Dillashaw believes that Yan will dominate the game.
“He is a perfect fit for the sport,” Dillashaw continued. Lots of attention. I don’t think he’s going to win, but he’s got some range and he’s got a rhythm, we’ll see. But most likely, Yan will be able to get through him. “
Dillashaw vs. Sterling will serve as the vacant lightweight title fight in the co-main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. Oct. 22 Today, Yan vs. O’Malley will be part of Abu Dhabi’s pay-per-view.
