Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan took to social media and exchanged verbal barbs with Sean O’Malley. ‘Sugar’ Sean decided to troll the Russian fighter, and Petr Yan wasn’t having it. He immediately fired back and reminded O’Malley of his place in the rankings. Both men have been going back and forth for a while now and their rivalry continues to grow.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

Sean O’Malley has made it somewhat commonplace to troll fellow bantamweight fighters even if they’re ranked above him. In fact, O’Malley usually ignores the fact that he’s not in the top 15 and won’t likely be facing the men he’s trolling any time soon. However, that’s not enough to deter him from firing shots.

Also Read: Anderson Silva Stats: Age, Record, Height, Weight, Reach, Belts, and More

ADVERTISEMENT

What’s next for Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley?

As it stands, O’Malley and Yan won’t be booked to fight each other anytime soon. O’Malley lost his chance to break into the rankings when he was defeated by Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Sean O’Malley has since bounced back from the loss and violently finished Thomas Almeida in his most recent outing.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sean O'Malley vs Marlon Vera

Imago

He’ll be taking on Louis Smolka at UFC 264 in what is yet another high-profile showcase bout. A win against Smolka will put ‘Sugar’ Sean right where he needs to be in terms of a position in the rankings. Not to mention his popularity will continue to see an upward movement with star-studded wins.

ADVERTISEMENT

As for Petr Yan, he already has his next assignment draw up which is a rematch against Aljamain Sterling. Petr Yan was seemingly pulling away with the victory when he landed the flagrant knee that cost him his title. ‘The Funkmaster’ went down as the first champion to ever be handed a gold belt off a DQ win.

Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling

Imago

The rivalry with both men is intense, and there’s plenty of the line going forward. The division is in need of some clarity as there are several contenders waiting in the wings to see how things line up. Regardless of the outcome though, fans can expect fireworks from both men when the cage door closes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Read this story: Five Unknown Facts About About the MMA GOAT Georges St-Pierre 

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

Written by

author-image

Darryl Pinto

2,138 Articles

Darryl Pinto is a senior MMA writer and editor at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Sport Business Management degree out of Humber College, Canada and has completed nearly 3 years with the organization. He has also served as the Head of Content for the MLB department. Darryl specializes in predictions, reporting, and covering UFC events live. Having competed in MMA at a collegiate level, he consciously attempts to integrate an athlete's breakdown of MMA techniques like striking, defense, and grappling into his penmanship of the sport as he seeks to give the reader a well-rounded point of view. Before becoming the lead MMA writer, Darryl has also written articles for the NFL and boxing divisions. He began watching UFC 11 years ago at UFC 117 when Chael Sonnen went to war against Anderson Silva.

Know more