Rani Yahya might be 37 years old, but that doesn’t mean he’s done going after the young blood in the UFC bantamweight division.
Yahya (28-10-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) is still eager to climb up the ranks and improve his stock, and that means taking out more hot young talent after he derailed Kyung Ho Kang’s winning streak on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 198.
In previous fights Yahya has folded under the pressure when he’s hit hard or put in trouble. It happened in the first round against Kang (17-9 MMA, 6-3 UFC), but instead of quitting, he pulled himself together and won the final two rounds to take a unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Being able to thrive where he previously faltered gives Yahya the confidence to go after bigger fights at 135 pounds, and he had two names in mind specifically after UFC Fight Night 198.
Yahya said he wants a piece of Marlon Vera or Sean O’Malley next, and explained why both matchups are logical for him.
“I see Marlon Vera is a good name – we were supposed to fight once but I was having some personal things that I couldn’t take the fight at the time,” Yahya told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC Fight Night 198 post-fight news conference. “I see that there’s a lot of hype on him. I would love to fight him. Then of course, O’Malley. Everybody wants to fight (him), but I think that would be a very good fight. Interesting for the UFC, too, because I see that UFC make him fight with some people that they believe he’s going to beat.
“At this point, I’m 37, I’m a veteran, maybe they would believe that he would beat me. So I think it’s a reasonable fight. I think me and O’Malley, it’s someone I would love to test myself against him.”
Vera (18-7-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) is fresh of a highlight-reel knockout of Frankie Edgar at UFC 268 this month. O’Malley (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), meanwhile, is scheduled to fight Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 on Dec. 11.
Whether the UFC will consider Yahya’s request for either matchup remains to be seen. The submission expert thinks he’s at the top of his game right now, though, and wants to take advantage before his time expires.
Rani Yahya pitches ‘reasonable’ Sean O’Malley matchup or Marlon Vera next