Sean O’Malley wants the 135-pound belt back, and he isn’t waiting politely in the hallway for an invitation. The former champ has made it clear he’s chasing another shot at UFC bantamweight gold, MMA Sucka reported, and he got there partly by taking a swipe at Daniel Cormier.
It started when Cormier brought up Song Yadong instead of O’Malley during a post-fight interview. O’Malley wasn’t buying it. “DC, I don’t know what he’s thinking. I beat Song like 6 months ago. I should be next for the title, I don’t care,” he said, in a clip that racked up more than 900 upvotes on r/MMA this week.
That’s a pretty tidy argument. If you beat the guy being floated for the shot, you’d figure you jump him in line. Suga’s math checks out.
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Where the 135 Title Stands
The belt belongs to Petr Yan. The 33-year-old Russian defended it in the UFC 333 main event against Merab Dvalishvili, a win Bloody Elbow said moves him closer to being the clear GOAT of the division. Dana White has said Yan has several options for his next defense and called it a “good problem” to have.
O’Malley wants to be the answer. Bloody Elbow posted on X that he laid out the key reason he’s such a tough matchup for Yan as he pushes for the rematch, and Bloody Elbow’s reporting says most of the fanbase is hoping Yan fights O’Malley next.
There’s also a bigger carrot dangling down at 125. UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van told Outta Pocket with RG3 that fighting Yan for a second belt “would be ideal,” adding that he studied Yan’s style early in his career. Van, 25, beat Alexandre Pantoja in their UFC 331 rematch in September and defends his title for the third time against Manel Kape in the UFC 336 main event in January. Kape comes in riding a four-fight win streak.
So the board looks like this. Yan has the belt and a stack of suitors. O’Malley has a recent win over Song and plenty of fans backing the rematch. Van is waiting to see who’s holding the strap once the dust settles.
My Take
Give O’Malley the fight. I’m not saying that because he’s my favorite guy (although the man understands a microphone better than half the roster). I’m saying it because he did the thing you’re supposed to do, which is beat the contender everybody keeps mentioning. Pushing Song ahead of the guy who already beat him is like rewarding the Rocky IV runner-up with the title shot. Yan vs. O’Malley is the fight with real history and a fan base already lined up at the box office, and it’s the one that sets up a Van super fight if the right guy wins. White called Yan’s options a good problem. O’Malley just handed him the easy solution. Next on the calendar, Van and Kape in January at UFC 336, and the bantamweight picture should be sorted long before then.
