Ilia Topuria, the reigning featherweight champion, is eyeing the possibility of a champion-versus-champion clash with Sean O’Malley, albeit not immediately.
Following O’Malley’s successful defense of his bantamweight title against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in Miami, he wasted no time in expressing interest in a potential bout with Topuria, who claimed the featherweight belt with an impressive victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February.
O’Malley, undefeated in his professional career, voiced his intrigue in the matchup, particularly preferring it over facing the next contender in line at 135 pounds, Merab Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili, boasting a 10-fight winning streak, has been earmarked as the next challenger for the bantamweight title, yet O’Malley’s callout to Topuria could potentially alter that trajectory. However, Topuria, hailing from the same homeland as Dvalishvili, has opted to take a different route, citing that the timing isn’t optimal. In his words:
Ilia Topuria on Sean O’Malley UFC 299 Win
“Suga, congrats… Was a beautiful performance! There is a fight chasing you with Merab… Get that done first.”
While Topuria’s first title defense remains uncertain, speculation suggests it may take place in Spain. UFC CEO Dana White has shown interest in staging an event in the country, especially following Topuria’s recent triumph over Volkanovski.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
