Petr Yan and Sean O'Malley Both Want the Rematch After UFC 333

Petr Yan and Sean O'Malley have been circling each other since their controversial split decision at UFC 280 in 2022. Now both men are openly campaigning for a rematch, and it could land as soon as early 2027.

O'Malley made his position clear in an interview with MMA Fighting. "Petr's the champ. If I don't get that next, then I wait," he said. Asked whether the rematch would be the biggest bantamweight fight in history, O'Malley did not hesitate: "Absolutely." He pointed to his fight with Marlon Vera as the previous high-water mark for numbers and gate, and said a second meeting with Yan would top it.

Yan, for his part, has said he wants the rematch and specifically wants it over five rounds. "I really want five rounds," Yan told reporters, per LowKick MMA, adding that a five-round bout would make a strong main event on a big card.

But the rematch has a prerequisite. Yan defends his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. The two are tied at one win apiece. Dvalishvili took a unanimous decision over Yan in 2023, then Yan won the belt back with a unanimous decision in December 2025. If Yan drops the trilogy, the O'Malley rematch dies on the vine.

O'Malley knows the stakes. "If Petr wins, beats Merab, me versus Petr. How do you not make that fight?" he said. O'Malley has been on the sidelines since losing a lopsided decision to Dvalishvili at Noche UFC, and a title shot against Yan would offer the fastest path back to the top of the division.