UFC 280: Sean O’Malley scores controversial split decision over Petr Yan (Video)

In a fight where a win could have given him the next bantamweight title shot, Sean O’Malley gets the nod over Petr Yan at UFC 280, but not without a lot of disputes.

“The Suga Show” continues to roll on with Sean O’Malley’s biggest win in his career, though it does not come without controversy.

In a featured bantamweight bout at UFC 280, O’Malley scored a close split decision win over Yan that seemed to rub people the wrong way.

Yan looked to pressure O’Malley from the start, pushing and pressing forward, though O’Malley looked to create striking opportunities utilizing his footwork. Halfway through the first frame, Yan looked for a takedown but O’Malley managed to fight him off. About a minute later, however, Yan managed to press O’Malley against the cage and scored a double-leg. O’Malley did score a sneaky and quick takedown before the horn, though.

Sean O’Malley impresses at UFC 280 but earns decision over Petr Yan that sparks outrage

O’Malley stunned Yan with a right hand very early in the second, sending Yan into retreat, but Yan recovered and landed his own massive right on O’Malley, following it up with a takedown. O’Malley got back to his feet but not after Yan spent quite a bit of time in overwhelming control. Yan scored another double-leg against the cage in the round’s last minute.

Yan seemed to be the fresher fighter heading into the final round, and seemed to be on his way to a win until O’Malley busted him open above his right eye with a knee. Yan delivered a hard hook, but O’Malley responded by giving Yan a high kick. Yan then used his grappling in the last couple of minutes to limit O’Malley’s offensive work, making it to the final horn.

All three judges scored the bout 29-28, but two of them awarded the fight to O’Malley, giving him the disputed victory.

UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev takes place on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.