• Sean O’Malley’s decision win over Petr Yan was condemned by fans and analysts
• O’Malley says he’s undeterred by media criticism of his triumph

Both fans and commentators have criticized Sean O’Malley’s decision victory over Petr Yan. O’Malley asserts that he is unfazed by the media’s criticism of his victory.

‘Sugar,’ arguably one of the sport’s biggest stars right now, says that as he has matured, he has also learned how to handle criticism. Regardless of the dispute, O’Malley undoubtedly passed the most difficult test of his career, enduring a protracted duel with one of the hardest bantamweights on the planet.

On the IMPAULSIVE podcast, the 27-year-old responded to a question regarding the post-fight account by saying:

“The media really doesn’t affect me. Like those guys that are talking shit are just so stupid. I feel like if it did affect me, it’d be me being weak-minded. And I feel like everything I have worked on in myself in the last five-six years, growing, becoming famous, it’s to deal with that stuff.”

“So I’m not affected by it. And the people that I respect, like I respect their opinions; all those guys are like, ‘Dude that was so entertaining.”

Despite Dana White never officially acknowledging it, Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan at UFC 280 was largely regarded as the top contender fight. When asked about the next bantamweight championship contender at the UFC 280 post-fight media scrum, White casually mentioned Henry Cejudo.

Even a UFC 284 fight between Cejudo and Sterling, slated for February 2023 in Perth, was mentioned. However, “Funk Master” recently asserted that he won’t make a comeback before the middle of 2023, putting an end to any speculation about him performing in Australia in February.

When talking about O’Malley, “Triple C” demanded a fight for the interim title. As of late, “Sugar” has asserted that Cejudo is broke and desperate to fight again. On The MMA Hour, he said:

“I heard from someone close to Henry that he’s got like $37 in the bank and he’s literally doing anything to try and book a fight and get some money. I don’t know Henry’s like opening main card, co-main event dude. Even if him and Aljo go fight it’ll be a co-main event on some card.”

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