Sean O’Malley can’t hate on Ilia Topuria anymore.
On Saturday, ‘El Matador’ stunned fight fans around the world when he became the first man to ever knockout out Max Holloway, putting away ‘Blessed’ in the third round of their UFC 308 headliner in Abu Dhabi.
Fighters and fans alike couldn’t help but marvel at Topuria’s latest finish, including former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley who liked ‘El Matador’ to none other than reigning light heavyweight king, Alex Pereira.
“Ilia is [was] so dangerous the whole fight,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. He’s like a little f*cking Alex Pereira.
O’Malley wants to see Ilia Topuria challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title
Following UFC 308, Dana White all but confirmed that Alexander Volkanovski would be next in line for a shot at Topuria’s title in what would be a rematch of their February 2024 showdown in Anaheim. However, ‘Sugar’ is really feeling the idea of seeing Topuria move to up challenge lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev in a champion vs. champion clash.
“Bro, you can’t tell me Islam vs. f*cking Ilia isn’t a fight you would want to see,” O’Malley added.
Of course, O’Malley doesn’t hate the idea of seeing Topuria and Volkanovski run it back either.
“God, Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2? I actually wouldn’t mind seeing that with Volk having a full, like, healthy Alexander Volkanovski,” O’Malley added.
Which fight would you rather see when Topuria returns to the Octagon in 2025?