Daniel Cormier has explained why Song Yadong’s name, and not Sean O’Malley’s, came up after Petr Yan’s title win at UFC 333. With O’Malley sitting across from him on his YouTube channel Tuesday, Cormier said UFC production told him Song was about to appear on screen, so he pointed him out in the cage.
“The other day, Petr Yan defends his title, and Song Yadong’s in the arena,” Cormier said. “And I said, ‘Well, Song Yadong’s right there.’ Because, I’m going to be completely honest with you - the truck’s in my ear going, ‘We’re going to show Song.’ So then obviously I’m going to go, ‘Song Yadong’s right there in the arena.’ And your coach took a little bit of offense to it.”
That offense was real. After the event in Abu Dhabi, O’Malley questioned why Yan didn’t mention him and why Cormier floated Song, a fighter O’Malley beat earlier this year, Bloody Elbow reported. O’Malley’s coach went further and claimed Cormier has something against his fighter, saying it wasn’t the first time the commentator had passed him over. Cormier said he’d reached out to O’Malley directly to make clear none of it was personal. “And I think by not having any personal feelings about us working, I believe we get blessed,” he told him.
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Where the bantamweight math stands
Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in the UFC 333 co-main event to settle their trilogy. O’Malley watched that one closely for obvious reasons. He lost to Dvalishvili twice, and he holds a win over Yan from UFC 280 in October 2022, a result that still gets dragged into every conversation about controversial decisions.
The Song option has its own history. Yan beat Song by unanimous decision at UFC 299 in March 2024, the same Miami card where O’Malley defended his belt against Marlon Vera. Song has gone 3-1 since. O’Malley’s most recent outing came June 14 against Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn, which he won.
O’Malley accepted Cormier’s explanation without giving an inch on the matchmaking. “Petr beat Song when I was defending my title in Miami, so Petr already beat Song, I already beat Song,” he said. “I don’t really think it’s a debate or an argument.”
He also isn’t campaigning. O’Malley said he doesn’t feel any need to push for the fight, because he expects it to land anyway. “Me versus Petr is happening next. It just is. I refuse to believe otherwise,” he said, adding that the rematch would headline its card. “We’re not going to be the co-main event,” O’Malley said. “We’re going to be the main event.”
Dana White hasn’t closed the door on Song. He has said Yan has two options for his next fight.
Quick take
Cormier’s explanation is the most boring possible answer, which is usually how you know it’s true. Live TV runs on whatever the truck is about to put on the big screen, and Song was in the building. The matchmaking is a different matter. Song’s 3-1 run is respectable, but Yan already beat him over 15 minutes at UFC 299 and O’Malley beat him this year, so a Yan vs. Song rematch answers a question nobody is asking. Yan vs. O’Malley 2 settles the most argued-over decision in the division and gets the champion a fresh opponent. If White picks Song, I’ll want to hear the reason, and Song happening to be in the arena that night won’t cut it.
