"Something about Russians" - Henry Cejudo believes "Cinderella" Sean O'Malley doesn't have the 'grit' to beat Petr Yan at UFC 280

Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo believes Sean O'Malley will come up short in his highly-anticipated fight against Petr Yan at UFC 280.

In a Live Q&A session titled Ask C Anything on his YouTube channel, Cejudo picked Yan to beat O'Malley in October, saying:

"Petr Yan's an experienced man. Something about Russians. You got to bring it dirty and I don't think Sean O'Malley has that style to make it dirty to bring the grit to throw him off. Unless 'Sean O' Smelly' can surprise him with the takedown, but other than that I see Petr Yan beating him. Sean doesn't have that experience, nor does he have that grit. So you guys need to be prepared to see little Cinderella freaking fall." [sic]

Cejudo has been involved in a brewing rivalry with O'Malley since 'Sugar's' fight against Pedro Munhoz that ended in a no-contest.

Watch Triple C' interrupt O'Malley's post-fight interview and hurl insults at him:

However, O'Malley is set to face his toughest test yet as he takes on a former champion in Yan. The Russian's last fight in the octagon was an unsuccessful title challenge against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273.

Watch Henry Cejudo discuss the Yan-O'Malley clash below:

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Sean O'Malley believes UFC 280 clash is the "perfect fight" for his career

O'Malley suffered the only loss in his UFC career at the hands of Marlon Vera in 2020. He has since won three fights in a row before his no-contest against Munhoz and is excited going into the fight against Yan.

In an interview on The MMA Hour last month, O'Malley spoke about his UFC 280 opponent while claiming that such blockbuster fights are how "superstars are created." He said:

"I just believe in creating these powerful moments, these magical moments, and I think this is how superstars are created. I go out there and starch Petr Yan, October 22 in Abu Dhabi, that’s massive. That is how superstars are born and I just feel like this is a perfect, perfect fight in my career. Perfect time, perfect opponent. It’s just my time to go out there." [sic]

Sean O'Malley has certainly become one of the top prospects in the UFC. A win over Yan for the No.13- ranked contender would mark the biggest win of his relatively young career. The American is slowly creeping up the bantamweight rankings and a win at UFC 280 could surely propel him closer to a title shot in the future.

Watch Sean O'Malley on The MMA Hour below: