O'Malley On Yan-Dvalishvili Trilogy Outcome

Sean O'Malley believes Song Yadong's win over Umar Nurmagomedov works in his favor, laying out how the bantamweight title picture could shake out depending on the Petr Yan-Merab Dvalishvili trilogy at UFC 333 on October 24.

"If Merab wins, it sounds like you have to give Song the title shot. If not, if Petr wins, I get the title shot. Mario [Bautista] is right there, too. The division is on fire right now," O'Malley

O'Malley lost the title to Dvalishvili in back-to-back fights before rebounding with wins over Yadong and Aiemann Zahabi this year. He's banking on a prior split-decision win over Yan in 2022 to make his case for a rematch, while Yadong's Saturday knockout moved him to No. 3 in the rankings, just behind O'Malley. Bautista, No. 4, has won 10 of his last 11, with his only recent loss coming to Umar Nurmagomedov last October.

Whoever wins the Yan-Dvalishvili trilogy in Abu Dhabi will likely determine who gets the next shot, with O'Malley, Yadong and Bautista all waiting on the outcome.