UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley wants to fight UFC featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria.
Unfortunately, that fight will “never happen” because Topuria is calling for a showdown against former two-division champion Conor McGregor. It was a “ballsy” callout but unlikely to happen because “Notorious” is still expected to fight lightweight rival Michael Chandler.
Or maybe “El Matador” is worried about the skills of O’Malley.
‘’I’m a tough fight for him and there’s a reason for that,” O’Malley said on YouTube. “Bro I’m the biggest fight for him but he’s like, ‘No I’m not fighting Sean.’ He should be wanting that unless he knows it’s a bad fight for him. I thought people would be jacked about that, but I’ve been getting so much hate. I’m gonna beat up Merab next, that’s what the people wanna see. People get what they want.”
Perhaps the solution is to get “as big as Conor” in 2024.
O’Malley is set to defend his bantamweight title against longtime nemesis Marlon Vera atop the upcoming UFC 299 pay-per-view (PPV) card next month in Miami. Stopping “Chito” will likely set up a future title defense against top contender Merab Dvalishvili.
Topuria is rumored to be defending against Brian Ortega at some point later this year.