Song Yadong isn’t letting Sean O’Malley’s mask gimmick get under his skin and fired back with style. The Chinese bantamweight responded after O’Malley seemingly wore a COVID mask during their faceoff at the UFC 2026 seasonal press conference.Yadong took to X and wrote:"O’Malley grabbing a COVID mask is a throwback to the only stretch of his career when people liked him”#UFC324"Check out Song Yadong's X post below:Yadong has also had his fair share of fun in the lead-up to the clash. For his 28th birthday, his squad showed up to training wearing identical O'Malley masks.Their fight is set for Jan. 24, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. O’Malley comes in at 18-3 with two consecutive title fight losses. A win over Yadong is critical to halt his skid and reclaim his place among the division’s elite.Yadong, meanwhile, holds a 22-8-1 record and has been on an upward trajectory, including a technical decision win over former champion Henry Cejudo. His aggressive fighting style and knockout power make him a dangerous opponent for any contender. A victory over O’Malley would push him closer to a potential title shot.Sean O'Malley talks about fighting Song Yadong at UFC 324Sean O'Malley enters UFC 324 focused on ending his skid. Both of O'Malley’s recent losses came in title fights against Merab Dvalishvili, and he sees this matchup as a chance to reset his trajectory.He initially preferred a different fight, but later recognized the significance of the matchup. Discussing the fight on his YouTube channel, he said:"Paddy [Pimblett] vs. Justin Gaethje, they announced it at halftime, Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes, I'm not even a co-main, dude... I'm falling off hard. What's next, prelims? Early prelims?"He added:"'Suga' isn't looking so hot lately, but I think he's going to come back. I think he's going to impress people. Song Yadong is explosive, young, hungry, and very experienced for being so young... He's fought some of the best guys in the division. He's got a really good fight camp over there at Team Alpha Male. He's Chinese, so he's smart. It's not an easy fight. I didn't want this fight. I wanted Aiemann [Zahabi]. I'm like, 'Can I have Zahabi?' They're like, 'No.' F*ck! Fine, I'll take Song."