Ilia Topuria is not involved in a struggle with Sean O’Malley.
‘Sugar’ got here up brief in his second bantamweight title protection of 2024, surrendering the strap to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. Following a lackluster five-round efficiency, O’Malley misplaced through a decisive unanimous choice, bringing an finish to his reign atop the 135-pound division and killing any probability of a possible champion vs. champion superfight with featherweight king Ilia Topuria.
“Another higher struggle will come alongside,” Topuria instructed Marca when requested about O’Malley’s newest loss. “It’s like the identical with Paddy [Pimblett]. It appeared like an excellent engaging struggle, however when you’re not on the [same] stage, what can I do? You get defeated even earlier than you get into the Octagon with me. I don’t even must get in there for folks to know that I’m higher than you. So why struggle?”
Maybe someday we’ll see O’Malley enterprise as much as 145 for a conflict with ‘El Matador.’ Till then, the previous bantamweight titleholder will concentrate on therapeutic up over the subsequent a number of months.
Ilia Topuria defends his title towards ‘blessed’ in abu Dhabi
Topuria, however, is concentrated on retaining the featherweight title firmly wrapped round his waist when he meets ex-champion Max Holloway within the UFC 308 primary occasion on Saturday, October 26.
Topuria rides into Abu Dhabi with an ideal 15-0 report, together with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in February to seize the 145-pound crown. Decided to dethrone him might be Holloway, recent off an epic buzzer-beating KO of Justin Gaethje to say the BMF title at UFC 300 in April.
It will likely be Holloway’s thirtieth profession UFC struggle and his tenth time competing for or defending a world title.
