UFC superstar Sean O’Malley admitted he is rooting for UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan to beat Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333.
Yan puts his bantamweight belt on the line against Dvalishvili in the co-main event of UFC 333 this Saturday, which takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
O’Malley, who holds a previous split-decision win over Yan in 2022, is hoping that he beats Dvalishvili and retains the belt, as it would give him a much better chance of fighting for the title again since he’s already lost twice to Dvalishvili and that trilogy bout is very unlikely to ever happen.
Sean O’Malley Wants Petr Yan to Beat Merab Dvalishvili
Speaking on his YouTube channel, O’Malley shared his prediction for the Yan vs. Dvalishvili trilogy bout at UFC 333.
“Pete is no joke. He is no god damn joke. He’s one of the scariest guys in the UFC. 100 percent. I’m pushing for him to win. I want him to win. There’s a level of, like, ‘Woo! Alright, we’re fighting Petr again. Five rounds.’ That nervousness you get when there’s a big (expletive) fight like that against such a killer, such a scary guy, is, I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like, alive, holy (expletive), we’re really going to war with this (expletive) again,” O’Malley said (via MMAFighting.com).
“Last time was three rounds, four years ago, almost to the date. We fought Oct. 22 in 2022, Abu Dhabi. He’s defending his belt, and if he wins, we get it. We’re next. We are (expletive) next. I’m putting that out there. I don’t know what the (expletive) else. They’re going to have Song (Yadong) fight Petr? Petr beat Song. Mario’s definitely in the mix, but I just think me vs. Petr will be the biggest fight in bantamweight history; a rematch, and it’s going to be massive. So, obviously rooting for Petr, but I do like Merab. He’s a good (expensive) guy. I like the fella.”
Petr Yan Favored to Defeat Merab Dvalishvili in Trilogy Bout
Per FightOdds.io, Yan is a -165 favorite to defeat Dvalishvili, who is a +140 underdog.
These two rivals have fought twice before, with Dvalishvili shutting out Yan in their first fight in 2023, before Yan returned the favor with a shutout of his own in 2025 to claim the bantamweight title.
Given how dominant Yan was in the rematch, and given that it took place less than one year ago, it makes sense that he is the favorite to win this third fight between the two long-time rivals.
That being said, Dvalishvili is an excellent fighter in his own right, so you cannot discount the possibility of him getting his hand raised, as he has already proven in the past that he has what it takes to beat Yan.
On Saturday, we’ll find out who the new UFC bantamweight champion is at UFC 333, with O’Malley having a vested interest in Yan winning, as it would give him a much clearer path back to fighting for the UFC bantamweight title again.
Sean O’Malley Rooting for Petr Yan to Beat Merab Dvalishvili