Sean O’Malley furious with UFC rankings update

Sean O’Malley is far from pleased with his position in the updated UFC bantamweight rankings.

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135 pounds is one of the most exciting weight classes in the sport, constantly churning out world-calibre fighters. Sitting among the very best on the planet is ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley. The flashy striker has positioned himself within touching distance of another shot at the title, but he is not happy with his ranking. Ever the innovators, the UFC has introduced Meta AI rankings into the company. Unlike the media rankings, the Meta version doesn’t rely on personal, subjective voting, and instead bases its findings on a data-driven algorithm and analytics. Its introduction could be a revolutionary tool for improving the sport, but not everybody is happy with its results.

Behind champion Petr Yan and #1 contender Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley is next in line in the media rankings. Unfortunately for the former champion, Meta doesn’t see it that way.

Following his big knockout over Umar Nurmagomedov, Team Alpha Male’s Song Yadong has snatched the #2 spot in the division, knocking O’Malley down. Unhappy with his findings, O’Malley spoke out.

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“Let me look at the rankings real quick. Merab’s number— what the f***?” O’Malley said. “What is up with these rankings? Do you see these bantamweight rankings? What?”

While making jokes about the situation, Sean O’Malley was visibly annoyed by his ranking. Making his case to be higher, O’Malley continued.

“So, I beat the champion Petr Yan, and he’s above me. First of all, f*** knows how that happened. Merab, I’m one and one with, and he’s above me. Song Yadong, [I] just beat him, and he’s above me. I’m number three, and I’ve beat everyone above me. Is this AI? Is this AI rankings? I’m pissed. I beat them all. This is ridiculous.”

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Watch Sean O’Malley get playfully frustrated in the video below.

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This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 12:47 PM.