Sean O’Malley has been given a shot at catapulting himself into the thick of the title picture at 135 lbs. At UFC 280 on October 22 he is scheduled to face former champion, and top ranked contender, Petr Yan.
O’Malley gets this booking despite being ranked 13th in the division and coming off a deflating no contest versus Pedro Munhoz earlier this month.
UFC President Dana White revealed recently that he was shocked when matchmaker Sean Shelby proposed O’Malley vs. Yan.
“We were in matchmaking and Sean Shelby actually came up with that fight,” said White at post-fight press conference for Tuesday’s Contender Series event (ht MMA Fighting).