Sean O’Malley reacted to Petr Yan’s stellar performance against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323.
Yan challenged Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship this past Saturday in Las Vegas. It was a chance for Yan to not only reclaim the 135-pound gold, but to also get some revenge after being defeated by “The Machine” back in 2023. Mission accomplished for Yan, who earned the unanimous decision victory to close out his 2025.
O’Malley took to social media to give Yan his flowers following the upset title win.
“What a performance from Petr, everyone counted him out,” O’Malley said. “God, Merab getting slammed on his head might be my new screensaver.
“Holy sh*t, Petr Yan got the job done.”
O’Malley has shared the Octagon with both Yan and Dvalishvili. The “Suga” show defeated Yan via split decision back in 2022. O’Malley wasn’t able to get the better of Dvalishvili, as he suffered two losses against the now former UFC Bantamweight Champion.
At UFC 324 on Jan. 24, O’Malley will be in a pivotal bantamweight matchup. He is scheduled to take on Song Yadong. It’ll be the first time O’Malley won’t be featured in the main event of a UFC card since the aforementioned fight against Yan.
O’Malley could soon find himself back in the bantamweight title picture now that Dvalishvili is no longer the champion. Other contenders such as Umar Nurmagomedov also make a strong case. Nurmagomedov will be facing Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324. He believes he’ll secure another title shot if he emerges victorious.
Meanwhile, Dvalishvili is hoping to get a trilogy fight against Yan. Given how active “The Machine” has been for UFC, one can’t rule out “The Machine” getting his wish before anyone else challenges for the bantamweight gold. Keep it locked on BJPenn.com for the latest updates on what’s next in the UFC bantamweight title picture.