Sean O’Malley will be in unfamiliar territory when he faces Petr Yan.
On Wednesday, O’Malley surprised many as he announced he would be fighting Yan at UFC 280 on October 22 in Abu Dhabi. It’s a fight he has wanted for quite some time but it is a massive step-up in competition for ‘Suga’ and should he win, he would likely get a title shot.
Given it is a big step-up in competition, O’Malley has opened as the betting underdog, which is the first time that has happened in his UFC career.
UFC 280 Opening Odds:
Petr Yan -250
Sean O’Malley +210
Along with opening as the betting underdog, money has already come in on Yan. He is now around a -410 favorite while some places have the Russian as a -455 favorite. Meaning, you would need to bet $455 to win $100 if you like Yan. O’Malley, meanwhile, is a +330 underdog which means a $100 bet would net you $330 if ‘Suga’ pulls off the upset.
Sean O’Malley (15-1 and one No Contest) is coming off the No Contest against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 due to an accident eye poke. Prior to that, he was on a three-fight win streak with stoppage wins over Raulian Paiva, Kris Moutinho, and Thomas Almeida. His lone loss came by TKO due to an ankle injury against Marlon Vera. This will be the first time O’Malley fights someone ranked in the top-five, as Yan is ranked number one.
Petr Yan (16-3) suffered a split decision loss to Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title last time out. He entered the fight as the interim champ after earning a decision win over Cory Sandhagen after losing his belt by DQ against Sterling. The Russian became the champ with a TKO win over Jose Aldo while also holding notable wins over Urijah Faber, Jimmie Rivera, and John Dodson.
Who will you be betting on, Sean O’Malley or Petr Yan?