Sean O’Malley might have been one of UFC 323’s biggest winners.
‘Suga’ watched on at T-Mobile Arena Saturday night as two of his former opponents duked it out for the UFC bantamweight title that he used to hold.
After Merab Dvalishvili captured the belt from O’Malley in 2024, he went about making history in multiple ways this calendar year and returned to the cage on December 6 for his fourth title defense of 2025. Umar Nurmagomedov, O’Malley, and Cory Sandhagen all failed to unseat the Georgian star, but the same cannot be said for Petr Yan.
Yan defeated Dvalishvili at UFC 323 with a five-round masterclass, upsetting the odds to have his hand raised and begin a second stint as bantamweight champ.
While many expect a trilogy between ‘No Mercy’ and ‘The Machine’ to come next, O’Malley may have something to say about that…
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Who should Petr Yan fight next?
Sean O’Malley thinks he can secure a shot at Petr Yan with a win at UFC 324
Two defeats in a row against Dvalishvili looked to have left O’Malley far from another shot at regaining the bantamweight belt. However, that may have all changed with how the latest title fight in the division unfolded.
During a fight week interview with Full Send MMA while in Las Vegas for Friday’s seasonal press conference, O’Malley correctly warned not to count Yan out.
And if the Russian did shock the world, ‘Suga’ suggested that a blockbuster rematch between them could be in line for 2026 once he handles business at UFC 324 in January.
“It depends how the fights play out,” O’Malley said about his path back to gold.
“You can’t count Petr out. Petr goes out there and gets the job done, I go out there and get the job done — biggest bantamweight fight in history.
“Me versus Petr, the rematch, that could be massive,” he added.
O’Malley beat Yan at UFC 280 in 2022, edging out a controversial split decision victory over the then-former champ in Abu Dhabi.
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Sean O’Malley could have competition from Umar Nurmagomedov
O’Malley is not the only big name who believes he could secure a title shot with a strong performance at UFC 324.
In addition to his showdown with Song Yadong, all eyes will be on the bantamweight division again when Nurmagomedov faces off against Deiveson Figueiredo.
Nurmagomedov lost to Dvalishvili at UFC 311 this past January but bounced back by defeating Mario Bautista in October. With a win over ‘Deus Da Guerra’, the Dagestani plans on challenging Yan later in 2026.
“Great, spectacular fight. Congratulations to Petr,” Nurmagomedov wrote on X after the UFC 323 main event.
“I think on January 24 it will become clear who is next,” he added.
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