Sean O’Malley reminded the bantamweight division that he still has a big role on Saturday night. He snapped a two-fight skid with a win over Song Yadong at UFC 324 and thrust himself back into the heart of the title conversation.
“Yeah, I felt like I took winning for granted for a while. It feels like I never lost, never lost, never lost. Now that I’m coming off two losses, it’s like a human being. It feels really good to win,” O’Malley told reporters, including Cageside Press, during his post-fight scrum.
“I’m not usually like that. Usually after a win I just feel like I would always win. After those losses I definitely felt… good.”
O’Malley (19-3) circled the Octagon after the fight with the calm confidence of a man who believed the result was already his. He raised his hands to the crowd as if to emphasize the point before the scorecards were even read.
“I feel like he took me down in the first two rounds at the end of both rounds, but he didn’t really do anything. I didn’t even know I got hit. Tim (Welch) said there was a video of him hitting me like a left hook, but I just feel like I didn’t even take any damage,” he said.
“Except for harming myself by kicking him and stuff.”
It’s no secret that O’Malley wants a rematch with reigning champion Petr Yan, but he’s under no illusions that it will come easily. With the division packed with contenders, he knows he’ll have to show up as the best version of himself to have a chance.
“He looked really good. I have to be ready to go five rounds, focused and improving outside of camp. Petr Yan is the champion for a reason. He is one of my favorite fighters to watch, so I would love to fight him again,” he said.
“I should have a really good camp and show up and do an OG Suga performance.”
Watch the full post-fight scrum with Sean O’Malley above.
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