Michael Bisping claims title shot awaits 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley next if he beats Petr Yan at UFC 280

Michael Bisping believes that Sean O'Malley could earn a UFC bantamweight title shot by beating former UFC bantamweight champion, Petr Yan. The No.11-ranked UFC bantamweight O'Malley will fight the No.1-ranked Yan at UFC 280 on October 22.

The consensus is that the Yan matchup is too big of a step up in competition for O'Malley. Regardless, 'The Count' disagrees with that hypothesis. Taking to his YouTube channel, Bisping stated:

"It seems to be the common theory that O'Malley's getting thrown to the wolves. He needs to step up. And this is a great opportunity for him to fight a former champion, right? And if he [O'Malley] goes out there and he beats him, then happy days for O'Malley; the 'Sugar Show' is flying. And you've gotta think that if Sean wins, there'll be a title fight next. But if he loses, there's no shame."

Furthermore, 'The Count' harked back to O'Malley's most recent outing, a showdown against Pedro Munhoz who's one of the few high-ranking opponents 'Sugar' has fought thus far.

Bisping alluded to the fact that the fight ended in a no contest (NC) due to an eye poke and acknowledged that it didn't reveal much about how O'Malley would perform against an elite bantamweight.

Nevertheless, he explained that the matchup against 'No Mercy' would allow 'Sugar' to either win and prove his mettle as a top-tier fighter, or lose and work his way back to the top.

Either way, Bisping labeled the fight as "a win-win situation" for O'Malley.

Watch Bisping discuss the topic at 4:45 in the video below:

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Sean O'Malley sees himself earning a UFC bantamweight title shot with a win over Petr Yan

On his Believe You Me podcast earlier this year, Michael Bisping predicted that a win over Petr Yan would surely fetch Sean O'Malley a shot at UFC bantamweight gold. During an appearance on the podcast, O'Malley concurred with Bisping's opinion.

Just days prior to Marlon Vera's KO win over bantamweight legend Dominick Cruz on August 13, Sean O'Malley shot down the possibility of the Vera-Cruz winner receiving a title shot before him.

Sean O'Malley opined that the UFC needs a champion like him. He also pointed out that UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will be defending his belt against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 -- the same card on which he'll face Petr Yan.

Insinuating that the stars have aligned for him to beat Yan and fight the Sterling-Dillashaw winner for UFC gold next, O'Malley said:

"I f***ing beat Petr, I am gonna be the champ. I'm gonna fight for the belt. That's what everyone wants. The UFC needs a champion like me."

Watch O'Malley's assessment below: