O’Malley outclasses Song Yadong. At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on January 24, 2026, former bantamweight champion Sean “Sugar” O’Malley returned to the win column with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Song Yadong in the co-main event of UFC 324.
Before the main event unfolded at UFC 324 on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, fight fans were buzzing about a critical bantamweight co-main event where former champ Sean “Sugar” O’Malley took on hard-hitting contender Song Yadong.
Sean O’Malley came into this fight trying to bounce back after a tough stretch. The former UFC bantamweight champion lost his title to Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 306 in September 2024, and then suffered a second defeat to Dvalishvili by submission at UFC 316 in June 2025. Those back-to-back losses halted his momentum and dropped him from the title picture.
O’Malley’s last UFC win before UFC 324 came against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March 2024, where he showed his elite striking. That victory remains one of the highlights of his recent run, and many fans saw his co-main event bout as a key opportunity to re-establish himself among the top contenders.
Song Yadong entered UFC 324 on the strength of a meaningful win over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo. Their fight at UFC Fight Night in February 2025 ended in a technical decision victory for Song when the bout was stopped due to an accidental eye poke, with Song ahead on the scorecards. Before that, Song had challenged elite competition such as former bantamweight champion Petr Yan, losing a unanimous decision to him at UFC 299 in March 2024. Overall, Song has shown he can hang with top-ranked fighters and remains a dangerous, well-rounded contender. Both fighters entered the octagon with something to prove.
Yandong Song made his way into the octagon first, followed by O’Malley. The opening round saw both men feeling each other out early.
O’Malley started fast, using his movement and long punches to keep Song at a distance. He landed clean jabs and body kicks.
Song answered with low kicks and occasional pressure, and late in the round he earned a takedown, forcing O’Malley to work from his guard for part of the minute.
Round 2 came and Song came out stronger in Round 2, landing a series of leg kicks and heavy punches that seemed to slow O’Malley’s rhythm. Song increased the pressure, he attacked O’Malley’s legs again and landed heavier punches.
Mid-round, Song put O’Malley against the cage and secured another takedown, earning valuable control time. O’Malley struggled to find the same success he had in the first frame, and Song’s forward pressure made this the cleaner round on the scorecards.
With the fight very close going into the final round, O’Malley turned up his pace. He landed crisp straight punches and a high knee, visibly blooding Song’s face, and mixed in combinations that kept Song on the back foot. He began landing clean straight punches, especially the right hand, snapping Song’s head back and opening a small cut on his face.
Song tried to increase the pressure, pushing forward and throwing power hooks and leg kicks, looking for something big to change the fight but O’Malley’s timing and cleaner shots gave him the edge in the decisive frame, swinging momentum back in his favour. O’Malley stayed composed and continued to land the cleaner, more accurate punches, finishing the round strong.
When the horn sounded, it was clear O’Malley had done the better work in Round 3 with his precision, timing, and control of distance, which ultimately helped secure him the decision victory.
“Championship mindset, baby!” O’Malley shouted after the win. “Petr Yan has something that I want. All respect to Merab, if he gets the shot, he’s well deserved. But Petr Yan, you want that rematch, I want that belt, let’s make it happen. This feels so f*cking good. I hate losing.”
UFC 324 Main Card
Justin Gaethje def. Paddy Pimblett via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46 x2)
Sean O’Malley def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Derrick Lewis via second-round TKO (3:14)
Natalia Silva def. Rose Namajunas via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Jean Silva def. Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
UFC 324 Prelims
Umar Nurmagomedov def. Deiveson Figueiredo via unanimous decision
Ateba Gautier def. Andrey Pulyaev via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Nikita Krylov def. Modestas Bukauskas via third-round KO (4:57)
Alex Perez def. Charles Johnson via first-round TKO (3:16)
Josh Hokit def. Denzel Freeman via first-round TKO (4:59)
Ty Miller def. Adam Fugitt via first-round TKO (4:59)
Ricky Turcios vs. Cameron Smotherman has been cancelled after Smotherman fainted at the weigh-ins.
Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez was also been cancelled.
