Petr Yan is *still* the man at 135 pounds, no question about it. After a gritty trilogy bout at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, Yan finally put his rivalry with Merab Dvalishvili to bed. Yan battled back after Dvalishvili’s trademark pressure took the first two rounds, then dug deep, pouring on the crisp boxing and brutal body kicks to snatch the final three rounds. His unanimous decision victory not only sealed a 2-1 series lead against “The Machine,” but also solidified him as the bantamweight king, a title he reclaimed a year ago in an even more dominant performance.
Daniel Cormier’s Head-Scratching Suggestion
So, with Yan’s win locked in, everyone was immediately wondering: who’s next for “No Mercy”? You’d think it would be a no-brainer for the next challenger, right? Well, not if you listened to UFC Hall of Famer and commentator Daniel Cormier. His pick? It wasn’t who anybody expected, least of all former UFC champ Sean O’Malley and his coach, Tim Welch. Cormier went right into Yan’s post-fight interview and suggested a rematch with Song Yadong, who was sitting cageside after a massive knockout of Umar Nurmagomedov back in August at UFC Shanghai. Problem is, Yan already beat Song by unanimous decision way back in March 2024. But “Sugar” O’Malley? He’s got wins over *both* Song and Yan! This is exactly why Welch was left scratching his head.
“DC” Has ‘A Little Something Against ‘Sugar”?
Tim Welch didn’t hold back on Monday’s “The Ariel Helwani Show,” saying he was totally confused by Cormier’s call. He plans on talking to “DC” about it, too. Welch pointed out the obvious: this year, “Sugar” O’Malley got his hand raised with a unanimous decision win over Song Yadong. Then, at UFC 299, Petr Yan also beat Song Yadong. So why push for Song when O’Malley seems like the clear next contender? Welch wonders if someone was whispering in Cormier’s ear because Song was there, but he doesn’t actually think that’s the case. Instead, Welch has a pretty wild theory: “I think ‘DC’ was pushing for Song because maybe deep down ‘Suge’ rubs him the wrong way.” He brought up “past little comments,” but admitted he didn’t know the full story, promising to get to the bottom of it. He also mused, “I could be totally wrong with that, but it’s always seemed like ‘DC’ has a little something against ‘Sugar,’ and he doesn’t like seeing him win.” Welch even suspects Cormier thought Petr Yan won that first O’Malley fight because of the takedowns. Oof.
The UFC Knows What’s Up
Despite the noise from the broadcast booth, Welch isn’t sweating it about his fighter getting the next title shot. He knows the UFC sees the bigger picture. That first fight between Yan and O’Malley was an absolute banger, a split decision win for “Sugar” that earned Fight of the Night honors at UFC 280 in late 2022. Both guys have only piled on the accolades since then. Welch said it flat out: “The UFC knows what the biggest fight is, and they know how sweet of a fight this is going to be.” He even threw a little shade, suggesting if you want to see Song and Petr fight, just rewatch their UFC 299 bout, because while it was “sick,” it wasn’t exactly the most exciting thing. Welch was actually more surprised that Yan wasn’t screaming for the O’Malley rematch. He figures if pay-per-view points were involved, Yan would be all over it. But now, Yan probably sees Song Yadong as an orthodox boxer who will just stand and trade. When Yan thinks of “Suge,” Welch thinks Yan remembers exactly how “Suge” made him feel in that cage. Yan couldn’t track “Suge” down, and it was tough for him. That fight marked the first time Petr tried that many takedowns in his career, period. Yan definitely remembers how that felt, and that’s why O’Malley is the fight to make. This is going to be good.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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