Ilia Topuria plans to defeat Alexander Volkanovski and then challenge Conor McGregor, dismissing Sean O’Malley‘s suggestion of a future clash between them.
Ilia Topuria’s got big plans. He’s aiming to take down Alexander Volkanovski and then set his sights on another big fish. But, it ain’t gonna be Sean O’Malley.
O’Malley, he’s been dropping hints on social media. Seems like he’s eyeing a future showdown with Topuria. Both guys are lined up for title fights in the coming months. O’Malley, or “Sugar” as he’s known, is defending his bantamweight title against Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299 in March. Topuria, on the other hand, is challenging the featherweight champ Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February.
O’Malley’s got a bit of a cheeky side. He tweeted, “Ilia’s my Eddie,”. Kinda sounds like he’s comparing himself to Conor McGregor. You know, when McGregor became a two-division champ by beating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. Seems like O’Malley’s hinting he’ll do the same by defeating Topuria for a second belt.
Topuria, though, he’s not having any of it. He shot back at O’Malley on Twitter. Says O’Malley’s not on his level. He’s got his eyes on McGregor instead.
Topuria’s got some words for O’Malley. He tweeted, “I offered to fight you but the UFC told me that you are only good for fighting in teenagers’ places, because that’s your only fan base. Our fight will never happen. After fighting Volk I will fight Conor and you will come as a fan boy. After seeing your PPV numbers the only thing I can offer you is that you fight in the preliminaries of my card.”
O’Malley, he’s got his own story. He won the bantamweight belt with a second-round TKO of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 last August. His popularity’s been on the rise since. He’s got a tough fight ahead with Vera, who beat him at UFC 252. O’Malley also had a minor foot injury in that fight.
If O’Malley wants a piece of Topuria, he better hope Topuria beats Volkanovski at UFC 298. Volkanovski’s going for his sixth consecutive defense of his featherweight title. And Topuria, he’s undefeated. He’s a real threat to Volkanovski’s reign.
As for Topuria’s callout of McGregor, that’s a whole other story. Topuria would likely have to move up to 155 pounds. He’s done it once in the UFC already. But, getting the attention of “The Notorious” McGregor? That’s a tall order. McGregor’s already got plans for 2024. He recently announced he’s fighting Michael Chandler on June 29.