O'Malley calls for Song Yadong vs. Merab Dvalishvili if Merab beats Yan

Sean O'Malley has publicly called for Song Yadong to be next in line for a bantamweight title shot — but only if Merab Dvalishvili first beats champion Petr Yan to claim the belt.

The ranked second contender at 135 pounds, O'Malley is 20-3 and has long held the belief that Song presents a genuine stylistic headache for Dvalishvili. He made his position clear: should "The Machine" get past Yan, Song Yadong deserves the next crack at him. O'Malley also laid out his own path forward, stating that a Yan victory would set up a fight between himself and the Russian champion.

O'Malley, 31, fights out of MMA Lab and brings one of the sharpest offensive outputs in the division, landing 6.05 significant strikes per minute at a 60 percent accuracy rate — elite numbers at any weight class. Standing five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach, he carries obvious physical advantages over most bantamweights.

Dvalishvili enters his title opportunity as the top-ranked contender in the division and sits at number two in the pound-for-pound rankings. The 35-year-old Georgian, fighting out of Serra-Longo Fight Team, has built his reputation on relentless wrestling pressure, averaging 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes with a 21-5 record. At five-foot-six with a 68-inch reach, his game is built on volume and attrition rather than power.

Yan, the reigning bantamweight champion, carries a 20-5 record and averages 5.12 significant strikes per minute at 54 percent accuracy. The 33-year-old Russian is a switch-stance technician with credible grappling of his own, averaging 1.58 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• Dvalishvili vs. Yan will shape the entire bantamweight landscape heading into late 2026
• O'Malley's callout puts Song Yadong firmly into the divisional conversation regardless of who holds the belt
• A potential O'Malley vs. Yan bout would pit two of the division's best strikers against each other