Anthony Smith: Sean O’Malley ‘very smart’ at matchmaking, Petr Yan ‘probably the easiest’ matchup among bantamweight elite

Sean O’Malley may be many things, but stupid isn’t one of them.

Despite a resume that doesn’t include a single win over a top 15 opponent, O’Malley will face ex-champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 bantamweight for his upcoming showdown.

It’s tougher on paper than anything O’Malley has faced before, but former UFC title challenger Anthony Smith warns anyone who thinks the ever-colorful bantamweight division will be blown out of the water.

“I think Sean O’Malley is very smart about his dating service,” Smith said The fighter against the writer. “I think he’s very, very calculated and I’m not saying that as a knock. I think maybe more people should do this better.

“Maybe my way is to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere, maybe that’s not the best way to succeed in the end. It’s the biggest fight with the biggest namesake for the most money, that’s the easiest, and maybe that’s the way, I don’t know. I can tell you there are a lot of guys ranked below Petr Yan that Sean O’Malley would have a harder time with.”

To O’Malley’s credit, he has called for bigger fights against higher-ranked opponents in the past, but this is the first time the UFC has actually booked him against someone of Yan’s credentials.

“I think Yan’s a good fit stylistically for a guy like Sean O’Malley,” Smith explained. “He’s smaller, he’s stockier, he’s got a really big reach disadvantage. I think the way he fights favors the Sean O’Malley style. There’s a world where you can see Sean O’Malley getting over Petr Yan.

“Is this world so clear when it’s Cory Sandhagen? The way is not nearly as clear as with Petr Yan. That’s kind of my point. I think he is very smart. I think he gets the opportunity to skip a lot of people who will cause problems for him.”

Whether it’s Sandhagen, Vera or other potential bantamweight matchups, Smith sees many fighters giving O’Malley a headache that Yan doesn’t necessarily have.

“I really like Sean O’Malley, I love his game but also a guy if they bring it back with ‘Chito.’ [Marlon Vera], I think that’s a tough question,” Smith said. “I’m not saying he can’t beat him, but… this is a tough fight.

“I think he has a harder time with ‘Chito’ than with Petr Yan. I think he has a harder time with Cory Sandhagen than with Petr Yan. I think he knows that. credit to him. I think it’s a fantastic fight. I think it’s a stylistic dream to get the #2 that just so happens to have those skills.

“You look at Aljamain Sterling’s matchup, you look at TJ Dillashaw, these are all really, really tough matchups for Sean O’Malley. Petr Yan of all is probably the easiest.”

While Smith is picking O’Malley to win at UFC 280, he doesn’t expect Yan to just disappear and there’s definitely a world where the former bantamweight king claims victory.

But, in his opinion, Smith sees O’Malley offering a look that could frustrate Yan, not to mention that he only has three rounds to work compared to five rounds in a main event or title fight.

“When Petr Yan comes in, he’s mean, he’s angry, he lost his title, he’s trying to get back there and he just starts running him down and going through all his bulls***, it It’s going to be a long night for Sean O’Malley, or a very short one,” Smith said.

“I just feel like Yan is stuck outside. I don’t think Sean O’Malley will take care of him. I don’t think there will be anything crazy. Petr Yan will have a hard time getting to him and I think Sean does a really good job at trapping people sometimes and he was very similar in the Munhoz fight. I think that’s going to be tight. I don’t think it will be as exciting as we would all like. I think it’s going to look a lot like the Pedro Munhoz fight where he’s just kind of on the outside and picking on him and I think the numbers are just going to add up. I am [going with Sean O’Malley].”