“We have now been in matchmaking and Sean Shelby if truth be told were given right here up with that battle,” the UFC president outlined in his post-fight press conference after Tuesday’s Contender Assortment fit. “Sean Shelby wanted that battle. I said, ‘Are you out of your ideas? You don’t make that battle now. This and that.’ He knowledgeable me why he’d make it and O’Malley’s in a position. You realize, O’Malley’s about to be 28 years old-fashioned in October, in his absolute peak at the present time, hits like a truck.

“He ended up selling me on it. And additional importantly, every guys wanted it. And a lot more important than that, after we offered it, everybody went crazy and loves it. And a lot more important than that, it’ll should be f****** a if truth be told very good battle.”

The UFC in brief broke the MMA internet when O’Malley now not too way back offered that he and Yan are set to fight on Oct. 22 at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.

The announcement were given right here as a surprise for a variety of reasons.

Yan is extensively regarded as to be one of the vital the most important gifted and fearsome 135-pound warring parties in the world. He is lately the No. 2 ranked bantamweight in the world on MMA Combating’s Global Ratings. He moreover contended for titles in each of his earlier 4 bouts previous than narrowly dropping by means of get a divorce option to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273.

O’Malley, then again, continues to be completely untested against the elite of the dept. The fan-favorite prospect remains winless in his most straightforward two bouts against warring parties lately ranked throughout the UFC’s bantamweight rankings — O’Malley out of place by means of first-round TKO to Marlon Vera in 2020, then now not too way back fought to a no contest with Pedro Munhoz on account of an unintentional eyepoke at UFC 276. Few people expected O’Malley to be propelled all the approach to the top of the bantamweight division after the inconclusive completing to the Munhoz bout.

Alternatively White said UFC matchmaker Shelby believes in O’Malley’s abilities.

And Shelby isn’t alone. O’Malley has already vowed to disenchanted Yan as more than a 3-to-1 underdog at UFC 280 — and he “100 computer” expects to battle for the establish as quickly because it happens.

“Obviously, I haven’t gotten to finally end up [I belong at the top],” O’Malley said this earlier week at a UFC 280 kickoff press conference in London. “That Pedro [Munhoz] battle didn’t if truth be told end one of the best ways I wanted it to. Alternatively I consider I proved I will hold with the top-10 guys. Jumping up to the No. 1 guy, this is a large test and I believe I will be able to rise to the example.”