Petr Yan claims he agreed to fight Sean O’Malley at UFC White House

Petr Yan says the UFC declined to book his title defense against Sean O'Malley at UFC White House, alleging in Instagram posts that the promotion wanted O'Malley to secure a win at the event. The bantamweight champion claims he had consented to face Sean O'Malley, but the UFC instead matched O'Malley with Aiemann Zahabi, after which O'Malley called for a title shot against Yan. Yan pointed to their 2022 split-decision result. O'Malley absorbed heavy inside leg kicks before stopping Zahabi in round two. His recent run includes wins over Yadong Song and Zahabi, with losses to Merab Dvalishvili. Yan is on four straight wins, capped by a title victory over Dvalishvili last December.