Sean
O’Malley recently revealed which was the hardest strike he’s
ever taken—and it came just when things seemed to be going
well.
The former bantamweight titleholder, who faces Aiemann
Zahabi at
UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House, said that current
champ Petr
Yan hit him with the hardest shot of his career. O’Malley,
still a rising contender at the time, faced Yan at UFC 280 in 2022
in his biggest step up in competition to that point in his career.
Early in Round 2, O’Malley hurt Yan with a huge uppercut, leaving
“No Mercy” on wobbly legs. As O’Malley gave chase, smelling blood,
Yan turned the tables with a straight left that rocked “Suga.”
O’Malley admits that Yan’s left hand was the hardest shot he has
eaten so far. O’Malley said on the Friends Keep Secrets
podcast:
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“Petr
Yan, the guy that’s the champ right now. When I fought him in
Abu Dhabi, second round, I came out, cracked him hard, rocked him,
hit him with a right hand, dropped him. Fast forward 45 seconds,
we’re both standing there, and he hits me with a left hand, you see
my head completely turn all the way around. That was probably the
hardest I’ve been hit.”
O’Malley (19-3) beat Yan via a narrow split decision that was
considered slightly controversial. The win earned O’Malley an
immediate title shot against Aljamain
Sterling, whom he dethroned via knockout. O’Malley defended his
title once before losing it to Merab
Dvalishvili and failed to reclaim it in their rematch. O’Malley
has since returned to the win column with a unanimous decision win
over Song Yadong this past January. The 31-year-old is now
scheduled to face Zahabi (14-2) at the UFC White House card on June
14.