UFC 280: Petr Yan reveals he was the one who chose to fight Sean O’Malley

Petr Yan has suggested he chose to fight Sean O’Malley at UFC 280, rejecting the idea that he was ‘bullied’ into doing so.

This Saturday night at UFC 280, Petr Yan will go head to head with Sean O’Malley in a match-up that came as something of a surprise to many.

‘No Mercy’ has been seen as one of the best bantamweights on the planet for quite some time now whereas O’Malley hasn’t really been given the chance to shine against anyone in the top ten, and certainly not in the top five.

Alas, that’s all going to change this weekend in Abu Dhabi with O’Malley being faced with a challenge that he claims Yan wasn’t initially all that interested in.

Read more: UFC 280: Sean O'Malley sends message to haters as he prepares to face Petr Yan

The Russian star has never been one to shy away from a challenge ever since entering the UFC and in a recent interview, he reiterated that he was the one who wanted to square off with ‘Suga’.

“I wasn’t impressed with his performance and I want to say it again, I was the one who chose to fight him,” Yan said. 

“He wasn’t the one who picked me. I know the UFC really believes in him, and he also believes that stylistically it’s a good fight for him, but I’m here to disappoint and upset him.”

“I think a win on Saturday should guarantee me the next title shot,” Yan said. “And if TJ wins, that’s going to be a very big fight for all the MMA fans, and if Sterling wins it’s going to be the trilogy.”

“For me, my goal is only a title fight,” Yan said. “Who will be champion, Sterling or TJ Dillashaw? I don’t care. I want to smash him.”

One of the big problems for Petr Yan right now is that his position as the king of the bantamweights, essentially, has been ripped away from him.

His first fight against