The UFC 280 is one of the most exciting MMA events of the year, where each main card fight looks like a real banger. One such fight is the bantamweight clash between Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley, which you can think of as a title eliminator fight – whoever wins on Saturday will probably get a shot at the championship belt in the future.
Petr Yan vs Sean O’Malley Odds
Moneyline
| Petr Yan | -250 |
| Sean O’Malley | +190 |
*Odds taken from FanDuel on Wednesday, October 19.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Date: Saturday, October 22
- How to Watch: UFC Fight Pass / ESPN+
Reasons Why Petr Yan Is the Biggest UFC 280 Favorite
Of all the fighters on the UFC 280 main card, Petr Yan is the one that’s given the shortest betting odds, implying that he’s a huge favorite against Sean O’Malley. If you’re wondering why that’s the case, the reason is that the 29-year-old Russian is a former UFC Bantamweight champ.
He won the title against Jose Aldo in July 2020 when he beat his opponent by TKO. Yan lost the title to Aljamain Sterling in March 2021 after getting disqualified for an illegal knee. Seven months later, he beat Cory Sandhagen for the interim title, which meant that he was going to fight Sterling for the Bantamweight Championship once again.
The title fight took place in April 2022 and Sterling won by a controversial split decision, even though many believed it was Yan who was the better fighter that evening. Fast-forward to October 22 and beating O’Malley is a must for Yan if he wants to get another shot at the title.
Can Sean O’Malley Upset the Odds On Saturday?
Sean O’Malley has a great professional record of 15 wins, one loss, and one no contest. Although he hasn’t beaten real superstars of the sport, he does have experience with fighting at an elite level. The highest-profile fighter he’s faced so far is Marlon Vera, who is the only fighter to defeat O’Malley so far.
In his most recent fight, O’Malley poked Pedro Munhoz in the eye by accident, rendering him unable to continue. As a result, the bout has declared no contest.
Knowing all this, you can be sure that O’Malley doesn’t fear Yan. In fact, we’re sure he’s going to attack the Russian straight away, trying to knock him out as quickly as possible. So far in his seven years long career, he’s KO-ed 11 opponents, which is his favorite method of finishing fights.
Petr Yan vs Sean O’Malley Prediction
We’re sure Sean O’Malley will be the more aggressive fighter, with Petr Yan fighting patiently, looking for his opponent’s mistakes. The latter strategy will probably work better. We expect Yan to let O’Malley lose his energy, then simply finish him in the final round.
Pick: Petr Yan to win by knockout/technical knockout