O'Malley def. Yadong
Decision (unanimous) · Round 3 · 5:00
O'Malley vs Yadong — Bantamweight Bout · UFC 324
What happened
Returning after seven months out, Sean O'Malley edged Song Yadong to get back in the win column. He banked the first round, ceded the middle of the fight to Song's low kicks and pressure, then surged in the third with sharp jabs, a clean right hand and a well-timed knee — bloodying Song's nose to steal the round and the decision.
- Song built a lead through the second round with leg kicks and pressure.
- O'Malley bloodied Song's nose and closed strong in the third, calling out champion Petr Yan afterward.
- 29–28
- 29–28
- 29–28
Watch
The full fight.
More videos · 4 clips
Signature moments
Signature moments
Analysts
No verified pre-fight analyst picks are logged for this historical bout.
Track record rows appear only when a timestamped source has been reviewed.
Archive
Pre-fight material — kept for transparency, folded by default.
Tale of the Tape
Records & career stats — as they entered fight night
- 19-3-0
- Record
- 22-9-1
- 3-2 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 3-2 last 5
- Switch
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
- Orthodox
- 5.98
- Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- —
- 3.40
- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- —
- 59%
- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
- —
- 60%
- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
- —
- 11:32
- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
- —
- USA
- Nationality
- China
- The MMA Lab · Glendale, Arizona
- Team
- Team Alpha Male
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for O'Malley
O’Malley’s case was range, shot selection and late-round accuracy. Song could pressure and kick the legs, but O’Malley’s best moments were likely to come when he forced Song to reset at the end of long exchanges and punished him with straight punches.
Case for Yadong
Song had the compact power, calf kicks and wrestling threat to make O’Malley fight at an uncomfortable distance. His path was to damage the lead leg, mix takedowns into the boxing and stop O’Malley from coasting behind length.
What We Were Watching For
- Song’s calf kicks against O’Malley’s stance-switching and movement.
- Whether Song’s takedowns could steal rounds or only create isolated control.
- O’Malley’s left hand and late third-round accuracy once Song tired.
Fighters
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