Petr Yan claims UFC 299 headliners Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera were “gifted” their title opportunities: “He got gifted the decision in that fight against me”
UFC bantamweight Petr Yan has claimed that Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera were gifted their title opportunities.
This weekend, we’re set to see a couple of really important bantamweight collisions at UFC 299. In the main event of the evening, Sean O’Malley will defend his UFC bantamweight championship against Marlon Vera. Prior to that, though, we’ll see the return of Petr Yan as he takes on Song Yadong.
For many, this is a vital clash for ‘No Mercy’ as he attempts to prove he can still hang with the elites at 135 pounds. As we know, Yan has previously fought O’Malley, losing a close decision.
In a recent interview, Petr spoke candidly about the main event and how he feels about both fighters.
Yan’s O’Malley/Vera theory
“I think Marlon Vera got gifted this title shot because he lost to Cory Sandhagen,” Yan said at UFC 299 media day. “Obviously, it’s not for me to decide who is the title challenger, but I’m seriously in the mood to get back in the title race.
“Sean just picked a contender he could beat because he doesn’t believe he can beat any other top contenders in the division,” he continued. “And just to remind everyone how he got his title shot, he got gifted the decision in that fight against me.”
Quotes via MMA Mania
Regardless of whether you feel like these two men deserve to be in the main event or not, nobody can deny that there’s a lot of buzz surrounding the contest heading into Saturday night.
Do you agree with Petr Yan? Do you feel as if it’s likely we’ll see the Russian get another title shot down the road? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!
