Sean O’Malley expressed his preference to face Ilia Topuria in his next fight instead of Merab Dvalishvili. Following his dominant performance at UFC 298, where he secured a unanimous decision victory, O’Malley solidified his position as the next contender for the bantamweight title. However, the champion was unimpressed and expressed interest in a matchup with the newly crowned featherweight champion. During an interview on the MMA Hour show, O’Malley discussed his potential opponents and named Topuria as his preferred choice, although he also mentioned being open to fighting Dvalishvili.
Earlier, the CEO of UFC confirmed that Dvalishvili would receive the next title shot in the 135lbs division. However, O’Malley had different plans and stated that he was solely focused on his upcoming fight at UFC 299 and did not want to think about what comes next. Nevertheless, it was clear that O’Malley favored a super fight with Topuria over defending his title against Dvalishvili.
O’Malley’s upcoming fight at UFC 299 will determine whether these potential matchups become a reality. Dvalishvili had earned his position as the top contender in the bantamweight division with a ten-fight win streak and an impressive victory over Henry Cejudo. O’Malley, being one of the UFC’s biggest stars, has been calling for a super fight with Topuria, who recently won the UFC gold at UFC 298, creating the possibility of a champion vs. champion clash.
During his appearance on the MMA Hour show, O’Malley compared the storyline of fighting Dvalishvili to facing Topuria. He expressed more excitement for the matchup against Topuria, highlighting their respective knockout victories over divisional greats to win their championships. O’Malley also downplayed Dvalishvili’s win over Cejudo, citing the latter’s age. He expressed his desire to face Topuria next in order to achieve the status of a two-division champion.
Despite receiving backlash from MMA fans for his callout of Topuria, O’Malley clarified that he was open to fighting anyone but wanted to make his intentions known. His next fight against Marlon Vera at UFC 298 would determine whether the matchup with Topuria or Dvalishvili would materialize.
According to the Source firstsportz.com