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After a dominant performance defending his bantamweight title against Marlon Vera, Sean O’Malley has set his sights on a new challenge: featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. However, Topuria seems uninterested in the matchup at this time.
O’Malley's victory at UFC 299 was a showcase of his skills, winning all five rounds with ease. In his post-fight interview, he expressed his desire to fight Topuria, even calling for a jet to Spain to make it happen.
While O’Malley had initially expressed interest in fighting Merab Dvalishvili next, citing fan excitement for the matchup, he eventually shifted his focus to Topuria. Despite this, Topuria took to social media to suggest that O’Malley should fight Dvalishvili first, as there is a fight chasing him with Merab.
It's worth noting that both Dvalishvili and Topuria share Georgian heritage, which could explain Topuria's support for his fellow countryman to get a title shot against O’Malley next.
Although Topuria has turned down the fight for now, it's possible that a matchup between him and O’Malley could happen in the future if both fighters remain champions.