Yan was hoping to bounce back against Sean O’Malley in October 2021, but O’Malley handed him yet another split-decision loss. O’Malley, on his TimboSugarShow, expressed empathy for Yan, saying, “I genuinely in my heart felt bad for Petr.” O’Malley feels somewhat to blame for Yan's continued descent and believes that Yan might have looked a little different in his most recent fight due to their past encounter.
Despite O’Malley's sympathies, his win over Yan solidified him as the No. 1-ranked contender in the promotion’s official rankings until Dvalishvili’s win, bumping him to No. 2. O’Malley has claimed that UFC President Dana White has informed him that he’ll be next for the winner of Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo, who face off at UFC 288 on May 6.
O’Malley is considered one of Yan’s toughest challenges to date and claims that Yan was embarrassed to lose to him. He also mentions that the division is booked, and Yan's only option was to fight Merab Dvalishvili. Yan's decision to face Dvalishvili despite his recent winning streak shows how “gangster” Yan is, according to O’Malley.
Yan’s downfall from being an unstoppable force in the UFC with only one loss upon arrival to his current state shows how quickly one’s career can turn around. Despite his recent losses, Yan is still considered one of the top bantamweights in the division and has shown his resilience by accepting a fight with Dvalishvili. Yan will need to bounce back soon if he wants to remain a top contender in the division.
"I genuinely in my heart felt bad for Petr. After, I’m like, ‘Goddamn it.’ You go from just the scariest — Dustin Poirier saying you’re the best boxer, you’re on the pound-for-pound list, you’re the baddest dude in the division, people are terrified of you ... Then you f****** illegally knee ‘Aljo.’ Then you lose a close fight to ‘Aljo.’ Then you get beat by me. I felt like he looked a little different in there, but it also might be that’s how good Merab is. Merab might have just made him look like that. I just saw it and I’m like, damn, I took a little something from Petr, I feel like. I feel like maybe he just, I don’t know. [49 takedown attempts from Dvalishvili], it’s insane, [Yan’s defense], also insane. I think he was so — I’m gonna say embarrassed that he lost to me, which he shouldn’t be. I’m f****** pretty skilled, but you don’t want to lose to me. I got f****** pink hair, I’m cute, you know ... He was so embarrassed that he lost to me that he wanted that [win] back so bad and the division’s booked. Rob [Font], Adrian [Yanez], like the whole division is booked out. Merab was the only one. That just shows you how f****** gangster Petr is. He didn’t care, he said, ‘I want Merab. I have to get this win back. I can’t be coming off a loss to Sugar Sean.” -Sean O’Malley
In conclusion, Petr Yan's recent loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC Las Vegas has left the former bantamweight champion desperate for a win. Sean O'Malley empathizes with Yan and believes that their past encounter might have affected Yan's performance. Despite his losses, Yan is still considered one of the top bantamweights in the division and has shown his resilience by accepting a fight with Dvalishvili. Yan will need to bounce back soon if he wants to remain a top contender in the division.