UFC bantamweight contender shared his reaction after Song Yadong knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai.
In one of the biggest upsets of the year, Song brutally stopped Nurmagomedov in the first round of their UFC Shanghai main event.
It was an incredible win by Song, who was not expected to win the fight, and it puts him in a position to potentially fight for the UFC bantamweight title in his next bout, though O’Malley is also vying for the next title shot at 135 lbs.
Sean O’Malley Reacts to Song Yadong’s Knockout at UFC Shanghai
Taking to his YouTube, O’Malley shared his reaction to Song knocking out Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai.
“Bro, just how good is Sean O’Malley? Jokes. This is not about me. He knocked him out cold! … What a year for Song — fights the ‘Suga Show’ in January, loses, comes back, submits Deiveson Figueiredo, then knocks out Umar Nurmagomedov. Look at that cut above his (Song’s) eye, too. Is that where I kneed him? Not about me. This is not about me, guys. Stop it,” O’Malley said (via Bloody Elbow).
Who Gets the Next UFC Bantamweight Title Shot?
Now that Song has taken care of Nurmagomedov, the question becomes: who will get the next title shot at 135 lbs?
Right now, UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan is set to defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili in a rematch at UFC 333 in October.
Depending on who wins, that fight could very well determine who gets the next title shot between O’Malley and Song.
Since Dvalishvili already has two wins over O’Malley, should he beat Yan and reclaim his belt, then it is unlikely that the UFC would book a trilogy fight between the two, so Song would likely get the next title shot at 135 lbs.
If Yan defeats Dvalishvili, however, it would open up a highly-anticipated rematch between Yan and O’Malley, and the former champ knows it.
“If Merab wins (at UFC 333), it sounds like you gotta give Song the title shot. If Petr (Yan) wins, I get the title shot. The division is on fire right now,” O’Malley said.
Sean O’Malley Reacts to Song Yadong KO at UFC Shanghai