Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong Set for UFC 324 as Mask Stunt Draws Mixed Reaction

Petr Yan’s UFC 323 triumph makes an emphatic January showing a potential shortcut back to a title shot for the former champion.

Overview

The bantamweights are booked for January 24 at T‑Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on the UFC 324 main card, streaming live on Paramount+.
At a UFC Seasonal Press Conference face-off, O’Malley returned to the stage wearing a surgical mask for his staredown with Song.
Song criticized the move on X, posting that O’Malley’s mask gag recalled the only time in his career when “people liked him.”
Social media reaction split between calling the stunt insensitive or racist and treating it as a joke with memes and laughing emojis.
After Petr Yan dethroned Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323, analysts noted O’Malley’s prior win over Yan could matter if he beats Song, and O’Malley celebrated Yan’s victory in a live reaction video.