Payton Talbott wants former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley for his next fight but what happens on Oct. 24 might determine his immediate future.
After tearing through former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in just over two minutes at UFC 332 on Saturday, Talbott called for a matchup against O’Malley after they were potentially going to meet at the UFC White House card earlier this year. Now after his third win in a row, Talbott believes it’s the perfect time to face off against O’Malley but that might all depend on what happens when Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili settle their trilogy at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi.
“We’ll see what happens with Merab and Yan,” Talbott said at the UFC 332 post-fight press conference. “If I’m being transparent, if Merab wins then it’s a no-brainer. He’s already fought Merab plenty of times and lost. If Yan wins, then I don’t know we’ll have to see.
“He is a higher position than me, we’ll see where my rank goes. I understand the position that I’m in, but it’s a fun fight. I think both of us should want it. He’s called the best striker in our division, and I’d like to put that to the test.”
It’s true that O’Malley has faced and been beaten by Dvalishvili on two separate occasions so it’s probably unlikely that he’d get a third crack at him any time soon.
On the flipside, O’Malley holds a win over Yan in a back-and-forth war that catapulted the always colorful bantamweight into the title picture before he became champion. Yan beating Dvalishvili certainly opens the door for O’Malley to get another shot at the belt.
That said, Talbott believes he would put on a great fight with O’Malley given the chance and it would finally allow him the opportunity to reach the upper echelon of the 135-pound division.
“We’ll just have to fight to really find out,” Talbott said about how he matches up with O’Malley. “I personally like when people are similar to my body frame. I do a lot better. It’s kind of awkward punching midgets. The downward angle just gets a little bit awkward.
“Stylistically, I feel like we match up very well. I think I have a little bit more power. I think I have more muscle on my frame, and I think I’m just as quick because of my age.”
