Petr Yan open to Sean O'Malley rematch after UFC 333
The bantamweight champion could face O'Malley again if he successfully defends his title against Merab Dvalishvili on Saturday.
Petr Yan is open to a rematch against Sean O'Malley if he defeats Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333 on Saturday. The Russian will put his bantamweight title on the line in a trilogy bout against Dvalishvili, but he already has a potential next opponent in mind. Yan lost a split decision to O'Malley at UFC 280 in 2022, and he would welcome the opportunity to settle the score.
Petr Yan Sees Sean O'Malley as a Potential Next Opponent
O'Malley has put himself back in contention for the bantamweight title with consecutive victories over Song Yadong and Aiemann Zahabi. Although Yan is not particularly impressed by the American's recent performances, he recognizes that O'Malley has done enough to put himself in the title picture.
"Why not? For real, we have history, so why wouldn't that be the fight?" Yan told MMA Fighting.
The Russian acknowledged that O'Malley has been performing well and moving closer to another championship opportunity. However, Yan clarified that he does not necessarily consider the former champion's recent performances impressive, even though he recognizes his progress.
"It's just that he's obviously winning," Yan said. "He's doing a great job. He's moving forward, and he's definitely proved that he is the next one, or one of the next ones who should be good to fight for the title, but it's not that I'm watching it, and I'm impressed by it, just he's on the right trajectory."
Petr Yan Leaves UFC Matchmaking Decisions to the Promotion
Despite acknowledging O'Malley's position in the division, Yan is not demanding a particular opponent for his next title defense. The Russian said he would accept whoever the UFC decides to put in front of him, pointing out that several contenders in the top five have already faced him.
"I don't know about who's deserving of the belt." Yan said. "There's a lot of guys in the top five that I already fought anyways. Whoever the UFC puts in front of me, that is who I'm going to fight. Whoever they think is the next opponent, I don't choose my opponent. I'll fight whoever they put in front of me."
Before considering a potential rematch with O'Malley, Yan must first get past Dvalishvili at UFC 333 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. The two have split their previous encounters, with Dvalishvili winning their first meeting in 2023 before Yan reclaimed the bantamweight title by defeating the Georgian in their rematch at UFC 323 in December 2025.
