Sean O’Malley says Daniel Cormier reached out after UFC 333 drama, admits feeling previous suspicions of ‘bias’

Sean O’Malley was one of the largest winners of the previous weekend.

Despite not competing at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, O’Malley was arguably the most social gathering watching the bantamweight title co-main occasion. Two of his previous rivals, Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili, battled for divisional supremacy, with the champion Yan successful a tight unanimous resolution to emerge triumphant from the pair’s trilogy.

Advertisement

When Yan got on the microphone for his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Daniel Cormier, the MMA world expected a point out of O’Malley, who’s won back-to-back fights since his last championship defeat and holds a win over Yan. Instead, Cormier requested Yan about a rematch with Song Yadong, who was sitting cageside.

O’Malley said on Tuesday’s version of “The Ariel Helwani Show” he wasn’t bothered by the omission of his title. He just sees it as a whiff by the company, since he’s assured in his place as the next man to problem for the belt he once held.

“I think they just missed an opportunity,” O’Malley instructed Uncrowned. “Yan could have called me out. He may as well have said my name, even if you don’t want that fight, because it’s the fight that’s happening next.

“I wasn’t too upset. I just thought it could have been a cool second. I wasn’t there, and that’s OK. I wasn’t going to fly to Abu Dhabi. I can’t believe Song did. If it was in the United States, possibly I’d have been there.”

Advertisement

On Monday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show,” O’Malley’s longtime coach, Tim Welch, mentioned Cormier’s suggestion of Song, who’s coming off an spectacular end of Umar Nurmagomedov in August, but also lost to O’Malley this previous January. Welch questioned whether Cormier has been biased against O’Malley since “Sugar” entered the UFC.

O’Malley revealed Tuesday he actually spoke with Cormier on Monday night after receiving a direct message from the UFC Hall of Famer. O’Malley said Cormier told him that he believes O’Malley should be next for Yan.

“I talked to ‘DC’ last night time, and I have felt [that he doesn’t like me] before,” O’Malley said. “I felt like [when I was] coming up, there was a little bias, that he form of needed to see me lose a little bit. But at the finish of the day, commentating’s a onerous job. You’re sitting there eight hours, from the first combat of the night time to the finish of the last combat. Then you still have to sit there and break down what occurred. So, it’s a onerous job.

“You’re not always going to say the right thing, and you’re going to be one way or the other sometimes, even if it’s on accident. But there was a time after the Terrion Ware or Thomas Almeida fights, I felt like he was kind of like, ‘Oh, he’s doing it again!’ There were fights where he was like, ‘Why don’t people just kick Sean’s legs?’ There were times where I felt he was kind of wanting to see me lose. But I don’t know if in my heart I truly believe Daniel wants to see me lose. At one point I felt like that; now I don’t. It was like that for a while.”

O’Malley was comparatively understanding and admitted he in the end would not care what Cormier thought on the matter. He has his eyes on the prize he once held: The UFC bantamweight title.

Advertisement

Watching the Yan combat at UFC 333, O’Malley was just as impressed as the relaxation of the world, if not more impressed. By his estimation, the trilogy tilt with Dvalishvili decided the best fighter their division has ever seen. That’s all the motivation he wants forward of what would be a large title-fight rematch with Yan.

“It was two guys that pretty much everyone was kind of agreeing that they’re fighting for the greatest bantamweight of all time status,” O’Malley said. “It’s always tricky with recency bias, but I really do think these two guys are fighting for that title, and Petr Yan won that. So we’re super lucky to be able to watch two guys fighting for that title. Not just the bantamweight title, but the greatest-of-all-time title.

“They actually are, when it comes to just pure talent for talent. Petr Yan is up there. He’s that man. When it comes to combating and mixing it up, and discovering methods to win, Merab is up there as nicely. So they’re both up there, just with completely different talent units.

“It was an honor to watch that fight, and I was happy Petr won,” O’Malley continued.
It gives me that — clearly, I’m combating for the title next — but it’s one of those fights like, ‘Holy s***, I’m going to go combat this killer, a dude that’s an absolute assassin,’ and it gets me excited.”

Advertisement

There was an imaginary road map in O’Malley’s mind depending on who won UFC 333’s trilogy fight. If it was Dvalishvili, the man he’s lost to twice, O’Malley fully expected to sit back and watch Song challenge Yan next. From there, he expected to take on rising contender Payton Talbott.

Now, though, he’s absolutely certain he’ll face champion Yan next.

“I’m not fearful about it. UFC makes the largest fights, and not only is this the largest combat, it makes sense,” O’Malley said. “If it wasn’t me, then you could do Song, but even then, it’s like, I do not know.”

Advertisement

After his resolution win over Song in January, O’Malley scored a large knockout over Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

O’Malley, 32, admits he was never requested about leaping Dvalishvili in the line to face Yan at UFC 333, yet that did not stop him from requesting the UFC brass stage a U.S. vs. Russia collision at the White House.

In hindsight, timing was also a large issue, as Yan underwent back surgical procedure early in 2026. Nonetheless, O’Malley would not believe Yan is afraid of him, even after scoring a hard-fought cut up resolution over the Russian in their October 2023 encounter.

“I do not think Petr is scared of ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley by any means, but I do think he seems to be at that combat and goes, ‘OK,'” O’Malley said. “He remembers. The last combat was a close combat. It was a powerful combat. He’s gotten a lot higher, I’ve gotten a lot higher. I think I’m a powerful stylistic matchup for Petr Yan. So, I do think he knows and acknowledges that. I do not think he’s scared or will duck me. But I do think in his little Russian head he’s like, ‘Ah f***, dude.'”