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Sean O'Malley scored the biggest win of his career by upsetting Petr Yan via split decision at UFC 280. However, many of his fellow fighters don't seem convinced that he deserves the nod.
The bantamweight stars battled it out in a thrilling three-round fight. Living up to the hype, O'Malley and Yan battered and bloodied each other in a bout that featured jaw-dropping exchanges on the feet and the grappling department.
In the end, two of the three judges scored in favor of O’Malley. Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby scored the fight 29-28 in favor of 'Sugar', while Vito Paolillo saw it 29-28 for Yan.
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Based on the statistics, Yan was the more accurate fighter. The Russian connected with 60% of his significant strikes, while O'Malley had a landing clip of 51%.
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However, as far as volume is concerned, O'Malley clearly had the upper hand. 'Sugar' landed 84 significant strikes, while Yan had 58.
This was the first time O'Malley went the distance since his second UFC outing back in March 2018. He is currently unbeaten in his past five fights, improving his impressive record to 16-1.
UFC fighters react to Sean O'Malley vs. Petr Yan
Jorge Masvidal was unhappy with the judges' call. Appalled by the verdict, 'Gamebred' said the Abu Dhabi judges "are f***ing careers up."
Darren Till, Dan Hardy, and Michael Chiesa are on the same page in their disapproval of the decision. Chiesa even provided insight into how devastating it is to lose in a controversial manner:
"The judges are only there to break your heart and when you’re in a fight that’s evenly matched, it’s in inevitable you have to deal with them."
Former light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes thinks O'Malley is enjoying preferential treatment from the UFC. Meanwhile, Aleksandar Rakic expressed his sympathy for Yan.
Jamahal Hill and Chris Curtis seemed to have enjoyed the fight regardless. However, both pointed out that the controversy marred what was otherwise a great bout.
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman praised Sean O'Malley for showing toughness and resilience, but added that he thought Yan won the fight. His sentiments were echoed by women's featherweight standout Megan Anderson.
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