Yan calls out O'Malley: 'Rematch season is open'

Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan wants an opportunity to avenge his loss to Sean O'Malley.

After O'Malley dropped the 135-pound title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 on Saturday at Las Vegas' Sphere, Yan expressed interest in a rematch with "Suga" on social media.

"I never considered Sean a real champion, because he was gifted decision against me in Abu Dhabi," Yan tweeted. "Rematch season is open, so see you soon."

O'Malley pulled off a big upset when he faced Yan at UFC 280 in October 2022, winning a somewhat controversial split decision. That was his final fight before challenging - and beating - then-champion Aljamain Sterling in August 2023.

Yan is 1-1 since the fight against O'Malley, which includes a loss to Dvalishvili and a recent win over Song Yadong.

The 31-year-old Russian congratulated Dvalishvili on the title victory and wrote, "Hopefully we can meet again in the future."

Before O'Malley's defeat, Yan had been targeting a matchup against fellow top-five bantamweight and former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo. Yan, who last competed in March, has said he wants to return at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas.