Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley believes Song Yadong unintentionally helped his title shot case at UFC Shanghai.

UFC bantamweight contender Song Yadong pulled off arguably the biggest win of his career by knocking out former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov last Saturday at UFC Shanghai. After a competitive first round, Yadong caught Nurmagomedov with one punch to knock the top contender out cold.

Yadong could potentially earn a bantamweight title shot following UFC Shanghai, but his former rival also makes an intriguing case. Sean O’Malley, who defeated Yadong at UFC 324 earlier this year by unanimous decision, has won back-to-back fights since suffering two losses to Merab Dvalishvili.

After O’Malley defeated Yadong, some fight fans questioned the sluggish, cautious nature of their fight. But after watching UFC Shanghai, O’Malley believes his recent win deserves more praise.

Sean O’Malley touts ‘sick performance’ vs. Song Yadong after UFC Shanghai

In a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow podcast, O’Malley says his win over Yadong looks even more impressive after watching UFC Shanghai.

“After my fight with Song, people were [complaining]. But now you can look back on that fight as a sick performance. Song is very dangerous, and I knew that going into the fight,” O’Malley said of Yadong.

“I probably beat him the most definitively, and it was still close. I rewatched it recently and…looking at fights with different perspectives, I’m a lot tougher on myself than if you watch it a few months later. It was a good performance, a solid win, and I was coming off of two losses, and they gave me Song Yadong.

“And it wasn’t even that long ago!”

O’Malley knocked out Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250 earlier this year to continue his push in the bantamweight title mix. While a rematch between O’Malley and Yadong might not happen next, don’t be surprised if these two bantamweights clash again before their careers close.

Who should Sean O’Malley fight next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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