Ilia Topuria praised Sean O’Malley’s performance at UFC 299, but suggested he should first face No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili before challenging for the 145-pound title.
Ilia Topuria? Yeah, he was pretty wowed by Sean O’Malley‘s show-stopping performance against Marlon Vera. UFC 299, remember? But, he’s got a point to make. He reckons the bantamweight champ has another mountain to climb before he’s ready to step up for the 145-pound title.
Saturday night in Miami was a big one for O’Malley. He held onto the bantamweight belt with a unanimous decision that swept the scorecards. Post-victory, he had a chat with Joe Rogan. Topuria was his top pick for a fight, but he wasn’t opposed to another option. If the UFC wanted “Sugar” to defend his 135-pound belt against the No. 1 contender, Merab Dvalishvili, he was cool with that.
And what about Topuria’s reaction to O’Malley’s first title defense? He took to Twitter. A callout response, you could say.
“Suga, congrats.. Was a beautiful performance! There is a fight chasing you with Merab.. Get that done first,” he tweeted. Yeah, that’s right. He wants O’Malley to tackle Merab first.
Topuria’s got his own bragging rights, though. He nabbed the UFC featherweight title with a “Knockout of the Year” contender. A second-round finish of the long-reigning champ, Alexander Volkanovski, at UFC 298 in February. He and UFC CEO Dana White are crossing their fingers for Topuria’s first title defense to happen in Spain later this year.
After Saturday’s event, White was a bit vague about the timeline for the UFC’s first trip to Spain. No official dates yet, he said.