UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is open to a future title fight against Sean O’Malley. However, it is not relevant at the moment.
UFC champion Ilia Topuria may face Sean O’Malley
After Sean O’Malley (18-1) defended his bantamweight title for the first time with a unanimous decision victory in the main event against Marlon Vera during Saturday’s UFC 299, he chose to challenge Ilia Topuria. He captured the featherweight belt last month when he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski vid UFC 298.
O’Malley said that the matchup attracts him and this much more than the one against the most current competitor Merab Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili (17-4) is on a 10-fight winning streak and has been assured of a title fight next. Topuria could step in instead of his Georgian compatriot by accepting the challenge from O’Malley. However, he has chosen to go in the other direction, saying that the time is not right for this.
Suga, congrats.. Was a beautiful performance! There is a fight chasing you with Merab.. Get that done first .
Suga, congrats.. Was a beautiful performance! There is a fight chasing you with Merab.. Get that done first .
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) March 10, 2024
It is unclear who Topuria will face in his first featherweight title defense but there is a good chance it will take place in Spain. The UFC boss Dana White expressed his interest in returning to the country after Topuria’s victory over Volkanovski.
Are you interested in seeing Topuria and O’Malley meet in the future?
