UFC 324 showed that Sean O’Malley still has a champion.
In his first fight in seven months, the former UFC bantamweight champion defeated rising star Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), returning to the win column after consecutive losses to former champion Merab Dvalishvili.
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O’Malley won unanimously on the scorecards in the first round. The second unanimously favored Song. The fight seemed to be going for Sung at one point in the third round, but O’Malley showed off his signature striking and began to do significant damage, all of which have made him popular with the UFC and its fan base. It’s close, but it’s good enough for Americans.
A win is what O’Malley needs on his way to the bantamweight belt. He immediately named Petr Yan, who ousted Dvalishvili in December, but acknowledged that Dvalishvili could be the first to challenge the two-time champion. However, he made it clear that he was ready to step in if asked to do so.
Check out complete UFC 324 results, highlights and play-by-play here.
