Watch the fight again, UFC rising star Sean O’Malley advises critics! He says the first and third rounds were his

In hindsight, Sean O’Malley doesn’t understand the criticism that descended on his win over Peter Yan at the recent UFC 280. After watching the fight again, he advises critics to do the same.

Sean O’Malley responds to rumors of stealing victory over Peter Yan

The last numbered UFC 280 event was marked by controversy on the main card. One of the most anticipated fights on the card was to determine the rankings of title challengers within the bantamweight division, which is ruled by champion Aljamain Sterling.

The bout between rising star Sean O’Malley and Russian fighter Peter Yan was awarded to the American fighter by the scoring judges. But the verdict caused an unexpected stir on social media and in the arena itself.

Many fighters and fans at the scene described the outcome of the fight as the biggest theft in the history of the sport. However, the winner of the bout, O’Malley, who in his opinion won the first and third rounds, strongly disagrees.

Watch the fight again, critics advise

Although he was unexpectedly conciliatory in an interview from the cage immediately after the fight, responding that he had to watch the fight first, he is now convinced of the veracity of the final verdict. He advises critics to do the same, to watch the whole match again.

“The thing is, people were saying before the fight that I was lucky it wasn’t scheduled for five rounds, but it didn’t look like it,” O’Malley said on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour. “I think the first and third rounds were definitely mine,” he points out of the flow of the fight.

The truth is, the first round really could have gone the American’s way. He kept a good distance and dismantled the agile Russian in the stand-up. In the second round Yan probably took the round for himself with good ground work, but in the third round the “Sugar show” broke out.

O’Malley put his opponent in a tight spot several times with quick combinations and caused noticeable damage to his opponent’s face. Yan was only able to land some shots on the ground, but did not threaten his opponent. Surely we could find more controversy in the history of the sport in terms of points decisions.

“I would encourage all the critics to go back and watch the fight again before forming a firm opinion,” he advises critics who didn’t like the judges’ decision. “I believe these are the same people who said before the fight that I had no chance against Yano,” he explains.

After the sensational win, UFC management catapulted him to the very top of the division behind champion Sterling. “I would say my next fight, the next time I step in the octagon, will be for the UFC title,” the 28-year-old fighter with one career defeat is aiming for the top spot.

Source: The MMA Fighting, UFC