UFC light heavtweight and analyst Anthony Smith thinks Sean O'Malley got one of the best possible matchups in his quest for gold.
O’Malley meets former bantamweight champion Petr Yan on Oct. 22 at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. Competing on the same night as champion Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw, O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) expects to be next in line for a title shot with a win over Yan (16-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) – and Smith agrees.
Although O’Malley is a big underdog, Smith thinks it’s a stylistic matchup in which he can shine.
“It’s hard to turn him down on that. Like if you beat Petr Yan, you’re kind of the guy,” Smith said on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “It’s such a weird deal, though, because I think Yan is one of the better matchups for him in the division. Just stylistically I don’t want to say it favors him, but it’s definitely a winnable fight. It’s a fun fight. It’s one that he can be super successful in if he plays his cards right.”
Smith sees fighters like Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera being a tougher out for O’Malley. Vera handed O’Malley his lone career loss, stopping him by first-round TKO in August 2020.
“A guy like Sandhagen, that’s a really tough fight for a guy like Sean O’Malley,” Smith added. “‘Chito’ Vera is always going to be a tough fight for a guy like Sean O’Malley. I think some of the harder matchups for Sean O’Malley are guys that are ranked below Petr Yan.”
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