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Sean O'Malley makes a big claim regarding possible Petr Yan rematch

Published

4 months ago

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Sean O'Malley makes a big claim regarding possible Petr Yan rematch

UFC star Sean O'Malley has big hopes for a potential rematch between himself and UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan.

A few years back, Sean O'Malley defeated Petr Yan in a really close fight that was decided via split decision. Now, in the present day, Sean is campaigning for a crack at the world title he once held, which is now being carried by Yan after he defeated Merab Dvalishvili to win it for the second time.

RELATED: Sean O'Malley remains confident that he can beat Merab Dvalishvili despite two losses: “That's definitely on my radarâ€

O'Malley feels like a logical first contender for Yan given the run he's been on as of late, but in equal measure, Dvalishvili had a great run as champion, and it would make all the sense in the world for him to get his own rematch.

In a recent interview, O'Malley spoke openly about the current state of the title picture at 135 pounds.

O'Malley is ready for Yan showdown

“I've been hearing Petr and Merab are going to fight for a long time – still nothing booked,†O'Malley said on the “Pound 4 Pound†podcast. “I don't know if it's Merab's nose or Petr's back. It sucks. 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 just dealing with some injuries.

“He's the champ, and if he's going to come back (against) Merab – I fought Merab knowing I was getting surgery after with a torn labrum. Still, it was a close fight, and then I get the surgery and fight Merab again seven months later, just wanting to be back, just wanting the belt back.

“You can't fight Merab on half-assed camps. You need a full, full camp. You need to be fully healthy to fight Merab, and Petr probably knows that. So he's taking his time, as he should. He is the champ. You don't want to go out there and lose the belt because you did something you shouldn't do, so I get it. But also, if they want me vs. Petr next, I do think me vs. Petr Yan 2, rematch, is the biggest fight in bantamweight history. I think it's the biggest one you could possibly make right now, and the UFC would be risking (it) making Merab vs. Petr.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you agree with O'Malley? Let us know in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

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MMA

Tatiana Suarez reveals what she took away from past title fight loss to Zhang Weili

Published

9 hours ago

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November 5, 2026

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Tatiana Suarez reveals what she took away from past title fight loss to Zhang Weili
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UFC star Tatiana Suarez has taken a look back at what she was able to learn from her title loss to Zhang Weili ahead of her return.

In early 2025, Tatiana Suarez fell to her first loss in professional mixed martial arts at the hands of Zhang Weili. Since then, however, she has done a pretty good job of rebuilding herself, with victories over Amanda Lemos and Loopy Godinez.

RELATED: Tatiana Suarez believes she is right back in title conversation after UFC 327

Ahead of her fight against Virna Jandiroba this weekend, Tatiana Suarez has been reflecting on what went down against Zhang Weili. Of course, a loss is always hard to take, but it can often help you become an even better version of yourself.

In an interview, Tatiana Suarez had the following to say on the matter.

Tatiana Suarez reflects on former title fight defeat

“I took a lot from that fight, obviously – um, I guess it's not obvious, because not everybody does that, but I'm sure you have to,†Suarez said. “There's just no way you don't take anything from a loss, you know? For me, it's helped me in a lot of ways mentally. Obviously, it's helped me understand things that I also have to improve on, and more so the mindset of it all. Up until that point, I've never faced any adversity in a fight. So, that was the first time I've ever had to face any type of adversity, and I never stopped coming. I always kept trying, so that's something to be said as well.

“So it does show me that I always just never quit. I'm never just going to be like, ‘OK, I'm done.' She hit me with some good shots, and I just kept coming forward. But I think more importantly, I just feel like being a skilled fighter and having the fight IQ is important when you have big fights like that. So, that's what I definitely learned out there as well is like being smarter and fighting smarter.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Will Suarez compete for a UFC world title again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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MMA

Dana White defends Dan Miragliotta over stand-up in Moicano vs. Nolan bout

Published

17 hours ago

on

November 5, 2026

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Dana White defends Dan Miragliotta over stand-up in Moicano vs. Nolan bout
Dana
White has addressed veteran referee Dan Miragliotta's
controversial stand-up in the Renato
“Money†Moicano vs. Tom Nolan
bout.

Moicano suffered a third-round stoppage loss to Nolan at
UFC Vegas 123 on Oct. 31. However, the fight was marred by
controversy when Miragliotta stood the fighters up for inactivity
while Moicano had Nolan's back in the second round. While it's very
rare for a referee to intervene when a fighter has his opponent's
back, White defended Miragliotta's call.

Why Dana White believes Dan Miragliotta made the right
call

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO says that, under the
ruleset, damage is the key factor in stand-ups, not holding
position. White notes that some grapplers can ride their opponent's
back for three rounds and says the referee is right to intervene if
the fighter in a dominant position isn't trying to land damage or
advance position.

“I don't think it's about dominant position,†White said during a
media scrum captured by TheMacLife. “It's about, are you doing
damage or not, trying to win the fight? Some of these guys are so
good, they can f*cking take your back and ride it out for three
rounds. The rules are, if you’re not doing damage or trying to
advance your position, or trying to win the fight, you get stood
up.â€

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MMA

Aaron Pico reveals ideal next opponents but admits ‘I really don’t give a sh*t’ who UFC gives me

Published

1 day ago

on

November 4, 2026

By

Aaron Pico reveals ideal next opponents but admits ‘I really don’t give a sh*t’ who UFC gives me

Aaron Pico isn't in the business of picking and choosing his fights.

After he was supposed to face Arnold Allen at UFC 333, and ultimately faced top prospect Losene Keita instead, Pico never lost any sleep about going from a ranked opponent to a newcomer with only two UFC fights on his resume. In the end, Pico delivered a vicious first-round knockout to improve his own UFC record to 2-1 and now he's ready for the next step towards his ultimate goal of becoming champion.

Pico admits there are some ideal opponents out there for him as he looks ahead to what comes next.

“I think anybody ahead of me in the ranking,†Pixo told MMA Fighting. “I'm definitely going to be watching the Aljamain [Sterling] fight very closely. That's always a possibility. But Lerone Murphy, I'd love to fight him as well. I have no hard feelings against him other than he beat me, and I'd love to avenge that loss. I think fought I really dumb, and he got very, very lucky. But a lot of blessings came after that loss so I'm OK with it.

“We'll see how the Kevin Vallejos and Aljamain Sterling fight goes and if everything goes smooth and no injuries with those guys, maybe that's a possibility of fighting the winner of that. Can't have that, I'd love to run it back with Lerone Murphy. We'll have to see.â€

Of course, Murphy scored a knockout win over Pico in his octagon debut so it's understandable why that rematch offers so much interest to the former Bellator fighter.

That said, Pico makes it clear that he's not in the business of turning down fights much less being that selective when it comes to his opponents.

Much like accepting the Keita fight with the knowledge that it was a high risk, low reward situation, Pico just doesn't like the idea of picking and choosing his opponents even if the person he's fighting doesn't have a number next to their name.

“I'm just speaking honestly from the heart, I'm just going to let you know how I feel. I don't really look at the rankings or anything like that,†Pico said. “Of course, I'm like oh this guy is No. 5 or this guy is No. 10. I'm truly in the mindset I'm after one thing and that's to be the best fighter in the world and fight the best in the world.

“Of course, I have a manager and I let him handle a lot of things and I tell him ‘who do you want me to fight?' and I always tell my family this, when I'm 60 years old in my rocking chair at my ranch, I want to be able to say I fought whoever they threw at me. I really don't give a shit. Some guys are like ‘I can't fight him because he's No. 10 or No. 12 and I'm No. 4.' I truly don't even look at that.

Pico would love nothing more than to have the chance to climb up the featherweight ladder and eventually fight for the title but he's not going to turn down fights just because an opponent doesn't logically make sense.

“I'm of the mindset right now, I am a beginner and I'm trying to learn as much as I possibly can,†Pico said. “I know I have to fight the best guys in the world. Yeah, of course, it's going to be a little bit scary. Of course, I'm a little bit nervous going into fights and training camps, but that just is what it is.

“I'm comfortable with that. If I fight a guy that's not ranked, it just is what it is. I know if I have that mindset, the belt will come sooner than later.â€

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