"UFC should be a marathon, not a sprint" - Brendan Schaub believes Sean O'Malley can beat Petr Yan, but will land in "deep waters" post win

Brendan Schaub thinks the UFC might be rushing Sean O'Malley's progression by having him face Petr Yan.

O'Malley recently revealed that he's taking a huge step up in competition as he's set to face the former UFC bantamweight champion.

Schaub is of the opinion that O'Malley could defeat 'No Mercy', but he may find himself in "deep waters" after that fight. Assessing the matchup during an interview with The Schmo, the former UFC heavyweight said:

"It's a lot for 'Sugar' Sean. I do think he can beat Petr Yan, but my question for everybody out there is: Then what? You beat him and it's like, it's off to the races. I would say the UFC should be a marathon, not a sprint. But if he beats the number one guy, he's probably two or one. He's probably right there. It's deep waters, man. Now, I do think Petr Yan, if he fancies himself a striker that night, 'Sugar' can get it done."

Check out Brendan Schaub's interview with The Schmo below:

O'Malley is yet to face a contender inside the UFC's Top 10. The most experienced fighter he's faced was Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276. Unfortunately, 'Sugar' didn't get to fully showcase his skills against the veteran after the fight was unceremoniously stopped in the second round due to an eye poke by O'Malley.

---

Sean O'Malley opens as huge underdog against Petr Yan

Sean O'Malley will undoubtedly face the biggest challenge of his young career when he takes on Petr Yan at UFC 280.

It will be O'Malley's first experience fighting a former UFC titleholder. Yan, of course, has been nearly flawless in his UFC career, with his only losses coming against sitting bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling.

With that being the case, the oddsmakers aren't giving O'Malley much of a chance to beat Yan. Betonline.ag has 'Sugar' opening as a +300 underdog, while Yan is pegged as the -400 favorite.

Nonetheless, the Arizona resident claimed that he is excited about his upcoming bout. During an appearance on ESPN MMA's The DC and RC Show, he said:

"I'm getting the fight that I wanted and the fight that the people want. I'm fighting Petr Yan, October 22nd in Abu Dhabi. I'm so excited for this I can't even believe it's true."

Watch Sean O'Malley's full interview on ESPN MMA below: