Sean O’Malley apologises after racism accusation from UFC 324 opponent Song Yadong

Sean O’Malley has apologised for any offence caused by his face-off with UFC opponent Song Yadong, after “Suga’ Sean” wore a surgical face mask while staring down the Chinese fighter.

O’Malley, a former bantamweight champion, will face Song in the co-main event of UFC 324 on Saturday, as the pair clash at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena.

While things have largely been cordial between Song and the American star, the build-up to their bout has not been without controversy.

In December, when they faced off for the first time, O’Malley sported a surgical face mask. Many fans assumed the move was a reference to the Covid disease, the first known case of which was found in China, Song’s home country. And while Song laughed at the move in a recent interview with Home Of Fight, he simultaneously labeled it “totally racist”.

O’Malley, 31, addressed the matter at a pre-fight media day on Wednesday, saying: “My intentions were never harmful. It’s supposed to be a little, silly joke. It was that, and it got taken out of [context]. I apologise if I offended anybody.”

Song, 28, also spoke on the topic, saying: “I’m OK, but I think don’t bring racism in this sport. Just keep it a sport.

“He already regretted it. He got an interview from China, he said he was sorry to fans.

open image in gallery

“He’s trying to get inside of my head like a mind game, but I don’t care. I just focus on the fight, I don’t care. I just want to win the fight. Focused.”

O’Malley will enter UFC 324 on the back of two straight defeats, having lost the bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili in 2024 and failing to regain it in their rematch last June. The Georgian outpointed O’Malley in their first bout and submitted him in their second.

Meanwhile, Song is 3-3 in his last six outings, but he will face O’Malley on the back of a win against former two-weight champ Henry Cejudo.

Song beat the American via technical decision in February 2025, with the Chinese fighter ahead on points when the contest was halted after he accidentally poked Cejudo in the eye.

In his previous fight, Song lost a decision to Petr Yan, who was a former bantamweight champion at the time, but who regained the belt in December. Yan outpointed Dvalishvili to reclaim the gold, having previously suffered a defeat by the Georgian in 2023.

open image in gallery

Shortly before facing Dvalishvili for the first time, Yan was beaten by O’Malley via a controversial decision. Their shared history has led many fans to believe that O’Malley could challenge Yan for the belt next, if the American overcomes Song on Saturday.

“It’s got to be me versus Petr next, if I go out there and take care of business” O’Malley said on Wednesday. “If not, I don’t know. I just feel like I’m trying to manifest that.

“I think I go out there and put on a beautiful performance, [then] me versus Petr at the White House is huge.”

O’Malley was referring to the UFC’s planned fight card at the White House in June. However, Dvalishvili recently claimed that Yan will not feature at that event due to his Russian background.

Dvalishvili, who is eyeing a third showdown with Yan, told MMA Pros Pick: “[The UFC] told me that our fight will not happen at the White House in June, because he is Russian, and that’s impossible.”