Outside Source
The former bantamweight titleholder, who faces Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House, said that current champ Petr Yan hit him with the hardest shot of his career. O’Malley, still a rising contender at the time, faced Yan at UFC 280 in 2022 in his biggest step up in competition to that point in his career. Early in Round 2, O’Malley hurt Yan with a huge uppercut, leaving “No Mercy” on wobbly legs. As O’Malley gave chase, smelling blood, Yan turned the tables with a straight left that rocked “Suga.” O’Malley admits that Yan’s left hand was the hardest shot he has eaten so far. O’Malley said on the Friends Keep Secrets podcast:
“Petr Yan, the guy that’s the champ right now. When I fought him in Abu Dhabi, second round, I came out, cracked him hard, rocked him, hit him with a right hand, dropped him. Fast forward 45 seconds, we’re both standing there, and he hits me with a left hand, you see my head completely turn all the way around. That was probably the hardest I’ve been hit.”
O’Malley (19-3) beat Yan via a narrow split decision that was considered slightly controversial. The win earned O’Malley an immediate title shot against Aljamain Sterling, whom he dethroned via knockout. O’Malley defended his title once before losing it to Merab Dvalishvili and failed to reclaim it in their rematch. O’Malley has since returned to the win column with a unanimous decision win over Song Yadong this past January. The 31-year-old is now scheduled to face Zahabi (14-2) at the UFC White House card on June 14.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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