UFC 280: rising star Sean O’Malley to make Abu Dhabi debut against Petr Yan

Sean O’Malley, one of the fastest-rising stars in the UFC, will make his Abu Dhabi debut in October in a bantamweight bout against former champion Petr Yan.

The American, 15-1 in professional mixed martial arts matches (with one no contest), was confirmed on Thursday for UFC 280, which takes place at Etihad Arena on October 22.

The event, the UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi for the first time in 12 months, is headlined by the vacant lightweight title clash between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev.

Speaking on Wednesday night to ESPN’s Ryan Clark, O’Malley announced that the clash with Yan was in the works, saying: “I believe I’m better than Petr at what we’re going to do, and that’s [expletive] fighting.

"And I think that’s what is going to get the job done. I’m going to go in there more prepared than Petr, I’m going to go in there and just do what I do.

“Obviously putting Petr’s lights out would be massive, but I just need to go in there and get the job done against Petr Yan. Three five-minute rounds.

You ain’t ready for this one?!