Sean O’Malley has been the name on many fighter’s lips since winning the bantamweight championship from Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. The latest person to call for a bout with O’Malley is top featherweight contender Illia Topuria. These two fighters are young and look to be the future of the UFC. The idea of the fight is mouthwatering, and we got a little taste of it on the social media platform X.
Ilia Topuria A Rising Star
Topuria has quickly made his way up the featherweight rankings and is on his way to a title shot. He looks to be the next challenger for Alexander Volkanovski’s title. The Georgian fighter has a perfect professional record of 14-0 with 12 finishes. Most of his wins are by submission, as he is an exceptional talent on the ground. He is coming off a win against Josh Emmett. Topuria has also submitted Bryce Mitchell. A victory like this shows how much of an immense grappler Topuria is. He will look to carry his momentum to a title victory over Volkanovski.
Would Sean O’Malley Fight Him
O’Malley is one of the biggest names in the UFC today. O’Malley has become a superstar in the sport for his spectacularly entertaining style on the feet. As previously stated, he has had many competitors call him out. Topuria and O’Malley engaged in a war of words over social media platform X.
Topuria tweeted.
O’Malley responded.
Topuria came back at the champ.
O’Malley then returned.
A move up to 145 pounds doesn’t seem out of the question for the ‘Suga Show’ as he is a big bantamweight and has talked about fighting at featherweight. If he moved up a weight, it would likely be to fight Volkanovski for the title.
How Could The Fight Play Out
The idea of a potential fight between O’Malley and Topuria is fascinating. They both are specialists, with O’Malley being excellent on the feet and Topuria being a submission specialist. It is a brutal fight to predict because O’Malley would have the advantage if it were on the feet. Yet, if the fight hit the ground, Topuria would likely be victorious. Of course, we probably won’t see this fight anytime soon. However, they are both young, and it would be a great matchup further down the line.
They are both incredible fighters, and it is great to see them doing their own thing in a UFC Octagon.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
