UFC bantamweight superstar ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley has shed light upon the changes he’s made in his preparation and sparring ahead of his all-important fight against Petr Yan at UFC 280.
While some view the matchup as too big of a step-up in competition for ‘Sugar’, others believe that the striking savant will rise to the occasion and beat the former UFC bantamweight champion.
O’Malley, for his part, has emphasized that defeating Yan would earn him a UFC bantamweight title shot in his next octagon outing.
In the latest edition of The Timbo Sugar Show podcast, O’Malley and his coach Tim Welch addressed the UFC 280 matchup against Yan. ‘Sugar’ suggested that one of the biggest changes he’s made in his preparation for the Yan showdown is studying more tape than he’s previously done. The 27-year-old stated:
“I’ve never watched tape. I’ve watched a little bit. Like, when I fought Pedro [Munhoz], I watched a little bit of the ‘Dom’ [Dominick Cruz vs. Pedro Munhoz] fight. I watched a little bit — But for this, for Petr, I’ve watched more. And this hasn’t been a ton, but like a little bit of the sh** you sent me. I’ve watched more on Petr than I have for previous opponents.”
Sean O’Malley has indicated that he’ll be leaving the U.S. early and training in Dubai, U.A.E. to prepare for the fight that’ll transpire in Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, revealing that he’s brought in top-tier sparring partners to specifically emulate Yan, O’Malley said:
“And we have f**king such good partners, dude, right now — Marcus and then Jack, my buddy, Jack from the U.K. Just flew him down. He’s here for the rest of the camp; quick little f**ker, good boxer. Marcus switches stances really well, like, has that forward pressure like Petr on.”
Watch O’Malley discuss the topic at 29:25 in the video below:
Sean O’Malley is pursuing a finish of Petr Yan at UFC 280
The No.13-ranked UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley is scheduled to face the No.1-ranked Petr Yan at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., on October 22nd. In a recent interview with Full Send MMA, O’Malley previewed his upcoming bout and stated that he foresees a finish.
“Every time I get into a fight, the goal is put him face first, knock him out. I want to get the finish, that’s always the goal. Petr is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world in my opinion. The dude’s legitimate, real deal, No.1 contender. I’m going to go out there and do what I need to do to get the job done. But, ideally I’m putting him face first.”
Watch Sean O’Malley on Full Send MMA below: