Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley addressed the controversy surrounding his COVID-style face mask during an initial staredown with upcoming opponent Song Yadong, while the Chinese fighter remained focused on the fight itself ahead of their co-main event clash at UFC 324 on Saturday, January 24, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The incident occurred at the UFC seasonal press conference in December 2025, when O'Malley wore a surgical face mask during the first face-off with Song. The gesture sparked immediate backlash, with many interpreting it as a reference to COVID-19's origins in China.
Sean O'Malley Clarifies COVID Mask Incident With Song Yadong Ahead of UFC 324 Showdown
At Wednesday's UFC 324 media day, O'Malley issued an apology for the incident. "My intentions were never harmful," O'Malley stated.
"It was supposed to be a little silly joke, you know, it was that, and it got taken out of [context]. I apologize if I offended anybody. It was never meant to be disrespectful, just me trying to have a little fun, and it turned into something else".
Song responded to the apology during his own media session, acknowledging O'Malley's penchant for promotional tactics while dismissing any impact on his preparation. "Sean is very good at promotion. He likes to play little mind games, do things at the face-off, talk a lot online," Song explained.
"I don't really care about that. I'm not here to play games with him, I'm here to fight. When the cage door closes, it's just me and him, and all that talk and all that show doesn't help him. I won't let anything he does take me out of my focus".
The 28-year-old Chinese fighter elaborated on his perspective regarding the stunt. "I'm fine, but I believe we shouldn't introduce racism into this sport," Song remarked at media day. "Let's keep it about the competition. He already expressed regret. In an interview from China, he apologized to fans. He's trying to play mind games with me, but I'm not concerned about that. My focus is solely on the fight. I just want to win. I'm concentrated".
O'Malley enters UFC 324 on a two-fight losing streak, having lost the bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in September 2024 and falling short in their rematch at UFC 316 in June 2025. The former champion holds an 18-3 MMA record and 10-3 UFC mark, with his last victory coming against Marlon Vera at UFC 299.
Song, ranked fifth in the bantamweight division, carries a record of 22-8-1 overall and 11-3-1 in the UFC. The Team Alpha Male fighter most recently defeated former two-division champion Henry Cejudo via technical decision in February 2025, earning the victory when the bout was stopped due to an accidental eye poke while Song was ahead on the scorecards.
Both fighters view the bout as critical for their championship aspirations. O'Malley believes a victory positions him for a rematch with current bantamweight champion Petr Yan, whom he controversially defeated at UFC 280 in October 2022. Yan reclaimed the title by defeating Dvalishvili at UFC 323 in December 2025, ending "The Machine's" reign after three successful title defenses.
"It's got to be me versus Petr next, if I go out there and take care of business," O'Malley declared at media day. "I think I go out there and put on a beautiful performance, [then] me versus Petr at the White House is huge".
Song similarly sees the fight as his pathway to title contention. "This fight is crucial for me because a win over Sean would be a major accomplishment," Song acknowledged. "I'm just one step away from a title shot".
