Sean O'Malley Questions Petr Yan's Quick Return Ahead of UFC 333 Trilogy
Sean O'Malley believes bantamweight champion Petr Yan may have made a mistake by returning nine months after major lumbar surgery to face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333.
· VILLAND PICK editorial
UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan is scheduled to defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event of UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. The bout marks the trilogy match between the two rivals. Dvalishvili secured a victory in their first non-title encounter at UFC Las Vegas in 2023, while Yan evened the score this past September by dominating Dvalishvili to capture the bantamweight championship.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sean O'Malley voiced concern regarding Yan's preparation after the champion underwent a nine-hour lumbar surgery in January. Drawing from his own experience prior to his 2025 rematch with Dvalishvili—where he returned six to seven months after hip labrum surgery—O'Malley stated that returning too quickly was his biggest career regret. He noted that Yan's quick nine-month turnaround altered his initial expectation that Yan would dominate the upcoming fight.
Nevertheless, O'Malley emphasized that if Yan is not physically compromised, he remains one of the most dangerous competitors in the promotion. O'Malley added that he is hoping for a Yan victory, expressing interest in a future five-round title fight against Yan following their original three-round bout nearly four years ago.
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