O'Malley's Coach Takes Issue With Cormier's Song Yadong Pick

Tim Welch, the coach of Sean O'Malley, has criticized Daniel Cormier for pushing Song Yadong as the next challenger to bantamweight champion Petr Yan.

At UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, Yan kept his title with a unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili, 48-47 on all three scorecards. The win gave him a 2-1 lead in their trilogy. Talk turned to his next opponent almost at once, with Song, ranked No. 2, and O'Malley, ranked No. 3, waiting in line.

Minutes after the fight, commentator Cormier named Song the true number-one contender on the broadcast, according to MMA Fighting. Welch did not like it.

"I don't know why DC went in there and said, 'Hey, Song Yadong, you're next,' even though Sean beat him about six months ago," Welch said. "I don't know if he's always had it out for Sean, but there's always been a little something. He makes these little comments. Maybe he doesn't like the tattoos, or he doesn't like that Sean didn't wrestle in the past."

The case for O'Malley

O'Malley beat Yan by a razor-thin split decision at UFC 280, a result many fans found controversial and have wanted to see run back ever since. At UFC 324 he also took a unanimous decision over Song, with 29-28 on all three cards.

Yan will fight anyone

In his cage interview with Cormier, Yan said he does not pick his fights. "This organization puts the next contender in front of me, and I'm ready to fight with any of them. Give me Song Yadong, give me King Kong! Give me anybody!" he said. Yan had beaten Song by unanimous decision at UFC 299.

Song has since knocked out the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round of their August fight. According to Dana White, the matchmakers are weighing both Song and O'Malley for the next title shot.

Source: MMA Sucka