Sean O'Malley names "little Russian dude" as potential next opponent after UFC 276

Ahead of his upcoming bout at UFC 276, Sean O’Malley has seemingly jibed at Russian MMA stalwart Petr Yan. During an interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, O’Malley referred to the No. 1-ranked UFC bantamweight Yan as a “little Russian dude.”

Presently, the No. 13-ranked O’Malley is scheduled to face the No. 9-ranked Pedro Munhoz in a marquee matchup at UFC 276 on July 2. Okamoto asked O’Malley what his plans would be for the second half of 2022 if he wins at UFC 276. ‘Sugar’ responded by stating:

“Yeah, I would love to fight again, one more time by the end of the year. November, December would be a great timeframe. I know there’s a lot of big fights playing out. The ‘Chito’ [Marlon Vera]-Dominick Cruz fight, something I’m looking at. Little Russian dude [Petr Yan] is running around, might beat him up. Fob Ront [Rob Font], he’s out there. There’s a bunch of guys out there that could potentially be my next fight.”

While the 27-year-old acknowledged he's excited for the future, the Montana native emphasized that he’s solely focused on the Munhoz matchup for now. O’Malley said:

“I still gotta focus on July 2nd, obviously, always make sure I say that. So, I don’t wanna get ahead of myself. July 2nd, Pedro Munhoz is the next challenge. But I’m excited for the future. There’s a lot of big fights for me.”

Watch O’Malley discuss the topic at 7:30 in the video below:

---

Sean O’Malley’s coach on his grappling skills ahead of UFC 276

In the UFC 276 Embedded Vlog Series, former UFC fighter Augusto Mendes was all praise for Sean O’Malley’s grappling skills. Mendes, a highly-accomplished grappler who’s won championships in IBJJF, ADCC, and UAEJJ, currently serves as O’Malley’s jiu-jitsu coach. Mendes said:

"People [don't] have [any] idea how strong his jiu-jitsu [is]. They never had the opportunity to see how strong he can do on the ground, but they are gonna be surprised if the fight goes there."

Check out Mendes' comments in the video below:

If Mendes’ assessment of Sean O’Malley’s ground game rings true, it’d significantly boost O'Malley's chances in a potential fight against Yan. Having previously held the UFC bantamweight title and the interim UFC bantamweight title, 'No Mercy' was thoroughly out-grappled in his last fight, a split decision loss to current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in April.

Yan has since been lobbying for a super-fight against reigning UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo this fall. Figueiredo is out with a hand injury and has hinted at a move to bantamweight later this year. Regardless, the Yan-Figueiredo matchup hasn’t been officially booked yet.