Sean O’Malley says a potential showdown with Ilia Topuria would have been an “epic” fight, reflecting on a matchup that never materialized despite his interest in facing the now-lightweight champion.
The former UFC bantamweight champion (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) first called for a fight with Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) following his unanimous decision victory over Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299 in March 2024. At the time, Topuria had recently captured the UFC featherweight title with a knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski, prompting O’Malley to suggest a high-profile champion-versus-champion clash.
However, the fight never came together. Topuria later vacated his featherweight title to move up to the lightweight division, where he now reigns as UFC champion.
Speaking with Full Send MMA ahead of UFC Freedom 250, O’Malley revisited the proposed matchup and reiterated his willingness to face Topuria.
“I mean, I called for it after I beat Chito,” O’Malley said. “I was willing to fight. That's who I asked UFC for. He went up to 55 (so it) didn't happen.”
While the bout ultimately failed to materialize, O’Malley believes it would have made for a compelling contest, particularly at featherweight.
“I thought it would have been an epic fight,” O’Malley said. “At 145, I think it would have been very interesting, because he's a big guy, but he's also 5'4''. He's not a big guy, but he's a big guy. So it would have been interesting.”
Topuria is scheduled to defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 this weekend, while O’Malley returns to action on the undercard against Aiemann Zahabi.
Although both fighters now compete in different weight classes, O’Malley’s comments offer a glimpse into what could have been one of the UFC’s biggest champion-versus-champion matchups had circumstances aligned.
