LAS VEGAS – Sean O’Malley received backlash for wearing a medical mask during his first faceoff with Song Yadong.
O’Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) takes on Song (22-8-1 MMA, 11-3-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 324 (Paramount+) co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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O’Malley and Song, who is Chinese, faced off last month during a press conference in which O’Malley wore a medical facemask, a call back to when fears were stoked by President Donald Trump about the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 originating in China. Song addressed that move by saying, “Don’t bring the racism in this sport,” and the former UFC bantamweight champion appears to have recognized how it appeared distasteful.
“My intentions were never harmful,” O’Malley told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 324 media day. “It was supposed to be a little, silly joke. It was that, and it got taken out of – I apologize if I offended anybody.”
Song has been on O’Malley’s radar for a while. Although many pundits are picking O’Malley to rebound, he knows not to underestimate the young contender.
“He’s got power in his hands,” O’Malley said of Song. “He’s powerful, fast. Some guys are powerful, but they’re not that quick. Some guys are really quick, but they don’t hit that hard. Song has got both. Song is powerful and fast.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 324: Sean O’Malley addresses mask controversy during Song faceoff
