Petr Yan twice has had a UFC title put around his waist, but it could be argued his biggest fight yet is his next one.
Yan (16-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is set to take on Sean O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in a key bantamweight bout at UFC 280, which takes place Oct. 22 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card, including Yan-O’Malley, airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Yan needs to bounce back after a bantamweight title unification loss to champion Aljamain Sterling in April. Yan took the interim title into the bout, but once again fell short to Sterling. Sterling beat him with a controversial disqualification to win the title in March 2021, then won a split decision earlier this year.
If Yan wants another crack at the belt down the line, it’ll have to start with a win over O’Malley, against whom he’s a -320 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook.
Ahead of that key bantamweight bout, check out the fight that got Yan to his first title shot: a third-round finish of all-time great Urijah Faber with a brilliant head kick at UFC 245. Not long after that win, Yan beat Jose Aldo with a TKO to win the vacant 135-pound title.
Ahead of UFC 280, check out Yan’s win over Faber in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
