Sean O'Malley says Daniel Cormier messaged him to back his bantamweight title shot

Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili by decision at UFC 333

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated 1h1 min read

Sean O'Malley reveals Daniel Cormier reached out to him after not mentioning his name as a potential next opponent for P Via @arielhelwani on X

What happened: Sean O'Malley told Ariel Helwani that UFC commentator Daniel Cormier contacted him on Instagram following Petr Yan's bantamweight title defense at UFC 333. According to O'Malley, Cormier wrote to him directly, "Hey, I do think that you should fight for the title.

Why it matters: Yan retained the 135-pound belt at Etihad Arena with a five-round decision victory over Merab Dvalishvili, setting up the next championship booking at bantamweight. Cormier's private message follows Tim Welch questioning Cormier for pitching Song Yadong over O'Malley during the post-fight broadcast.

By the numbers: Petr Yan improved to 21-5-0 with his five-round decision win (R5 5:00) over Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC 333 co-main event.

What to watch: UFC matchmakers will determine whether O'Malley or Song Yadong receives the next bantamweight title shot against Yan.

Sources

@arielhelwani 2026-10-27T19:05:33.040728+00:00

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Sean O'Malley says Daniel Cormier messaged him to back his bantamweight title shot

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