Sean O’Malley may not be next in line for an immediate title shot, but his win over Song Yadong on Saturday night put him right back where he belongs in the thick of the bantamweight title conversation.
The former champion entered the first UFC event of the year on January 24 in Las Vegas riding a two-fight skid, with real pressure hanging over his future. A third straight loss could have changed everything. Instead, Sean O’Malley delivered when it mattered most, securing a unanimous decision and reopening doors that once looked firmly shut.
That victory has already shifted the landscape. Petr Yan has since left the door open for a rematch with O’Malley for the 135-pound title, a fight many fans still debate after their first close encounter. While the result sets up major opportunities for one of the UFC’s biggest stars, O’Malley admitted it could have just as easily pushed him toward an early exit from the sport.
“Realistically you never know,” Sean O’Malley said on the UFC’s About Last Fight show inside T-Mobile Arena. “If I would have lost, I’d be like these weight cuts suck, ‘F’ this. I don’t know if I would have been like that, but it’s possible. I’m going to retire when I feel like OK, it’s time. If I would have lost, it could have been [my final fight]. I have such a good life back home, I could have just been like, you know what, it’s time.”
The thought alone rattled him more than he expected.
“That was a scary thought going into this fight that I even had that thought in my mind,” he added. “Because it’s like, how bad do I really want this?”
O’Malley’s body language after the final horn made one thing clear: he believed he had done enough. While the scorecards sparked debate among fans, the former champion walked away convinced and relieved. The moment became even more emotional when he was joined in the Octagon by his daughter, who attended one of his fights for the first time.
Speaking later on The Ariel Helwani Show, Sean O’Malley explained why the win meant more than just getting back into the rankings. He acknowledged that no one walks away from a Song Yadong fight looking clean, and he understood the risks involved, especially with his family watching cageside.
“It was a dangerous fight. It was a risky fight to bring my daughter to,” O’Malley admitted. “I knew what could happen, but I was confident I was gonna go in there and be able to out-skill him.”
With momentum back on his side, Sean O’Malley now has his eyes firmly set on gold. He believes his next fight should be for the title and has already called for a rematch with Petr Yan. Still, he remains realistic about the business side of the sport.
“I want Petr Yan,” O’Malley told Helwani. “The thing is, if I would make more money fighting someone else, I’d want that. The amount of money I was making as a champion compared to not champion is significant. I was making a lot more money as a champion. That’s what I want next. I want the belt next.”
“It makes it that much sweeter that it’s a rematch. It was a close fight before. Petr for the rematch is what I want,” O’Malley said. “If they go Merab vs. Petr, I wait. If Merab wins, then we figure out what’s next. If Petr wins, that is what’s next.”
Beyond title aspirations, Sean O’Malley also revealed plans to revisit his contract situation. With two fights left on his current deal, he believes the timing is right to renegotiate, especially if a championship opportunity is next.
“I feel like I will probably renegotiate before my next fight,” he said. “I’m hoping it’s more money.”
Now sitting at 19-3 with one no contest, Sean O’Malley didn’t just secure a win at UFC 324, he secured his future.
