UFC 280: Petr Yan vs Sean O’Malley Live Blog
Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley clash at UFC 280 PPV in a defacto #1 contender fight for bantamweight championship.
Petr Yan has been involved in title scene for the last 4 of his bouts. He won the vacant title by beating Jose Aldo before losing it to Aljamain Sterling. He won the interim title against Cory Sandhagen before losing the title unification bout against Sterling once again. Will he be able to secure the trilogy against Sterling?
Sean O’Malley is a rising star in the division and is getting fast-tracked towards a title bout. He has featured in some high-profile cards like UFC 269 to close 2021 and UFC 276 during International Fight Week. Even though he is in the rankings just since his last two fights, he is getting a #1 contender bout next. Will he prove that UFC’s faith in him is justified?
Tune in as we bring you live updates from Petr Yan vs Sean O’Malley Bantamweight bout from UFC 280 PPV with play-by-play and round-by-round updates.
Live Updates
Pre-Fight
We are almost ready for the fight as the video package is airing. O’Malley comes out first. He poses on the steps as he gets into the ring.
Petr Yan looks focused as he walks out. He does a cartwheel as he enters the octagon. Bruce Buffers screams into the mic that we are ready to go.
Round 1
Sean hits a low kick. They collide as they both go for kicks next. Yan walks him down toward the walls. Sean goes for a sidekick. Yan hits him with a calf kick. Sean shows some good movement to avoid some kicks. Body kick from Yan before Sean hits a calf kick. Sean lands some good shots back-to-back. He lands more sidekicks. Yan keeps firing his shots in between. Yan hits him with a kick and a punch combo. Yan goes for a takedown with half the round gone, but could not get Sean down. Sean lands a swing. Yan hits calf kicks. Sean goes for jab. Yan kicks at his leg and completes a takedown. He tries to get full control. Sean gets back up to his feet and they reset. Yan hits another calf kick. Sean lands a combo with just 25 seconds left. Body kick from Yan lands. Sean goes for a takedown late in the round but he is unable to catch Yan.
Round 2
Yan quickly hits a good body kick. Jabs exchanged. Sean lands a big punch to stun Yan. Yan is backtracking a bit. But he lands a big punch himself after 10 seconds. Yan goes for a takedown and gets Sean on his back. He is trying to get control but lands some good punches. Sean goes for an armbar to counter but Yan is in better control. Yan stomps on O’Malley’s foot. They reset to the middle after a bit of scramble. Yan trips him again. They exchange more shots. Yan hits a body kick. Sean lands some good punches before Yan lands a body kick. Sean counters with another punch. He counters another kick with his punches. Yan lands a high kick. He goes for a takedown and completes it again with a minute to go. He is trying to get control on the mat. The round ends with Yan in control.
Round 3
O’Malley hits a body kick. He hits some jabs. Yan lands a powerful right. He fails to get a takedown though. They both switch stances a few times. Yan hits an inside leg kick. More kicks from Yan. Sean also lands a front kick before setting up for some punches. Yan pushes him back and Sean manages to avoid a takedown due to him being close to the walls. Sean starts landing big shots – punches and knees. Yan is cut open. Sean drops his hands and Yan lands his shots on his face. Sean also fires more big punches. Yan replies with his punch before going for a takedown. Yan gets Sean on his back. Sean gets back up but Yan lands more shots. Sean lands a few punches. Yan lands a big counter right and attempts another takedown. They exchange punches before Yan completes another takedown in the final seconds. Yan lands some punches to close the round.
Official Decision
Sean O’Malley wins via split decision(29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Petr Yan was robbed