Former UFC champion claims UFC is “protecting” Sean O’Malley from Payton Talbott
A former UFC champion has urged the promotion to “stop protecting” Sean O’Malley and book him against Payton Talbott after Talbott’s KO win at UFC 332.
Payton Talbott continues his rise in the UFC bantamweight division. He delivered another spectacular performance by knocking out Deiveson Figueiredo in under 2:10 of the first round in the co-main event at UFC 332. With the victory, Talbott now has wins over two former UFC champions in his last two outings: Henry Cejudo back in December, and now Figueiredo.
For his next challenge, Talbott is eyeing a matchup against another former UFC champion, Sean O'Malley, and has called him out. Now, 28-year-old former opponent Cejudo has weighed in and is pushing for the matchup to be made.
Henry Cejudo calls for Payton Talbott vs. Sean O’Malley after stunning UFC 332 win
Cejudo appears to have no problem with his former rival moving on to another major challenge in the UFC bantamweight division.
Following Talbott's knockout win over Figueiredo, 'Triple C' took to X to throw his support behind the matchup and suggested the UFC should stop protecting ‘Suga’. He also urged O'Malley to accept the challenge.
“Nobody wants to fight Payton Talbott. He’s been ignored for a year. You have to give him the best competition and they need to stop protecting Sean O’Methly. Talbott vs O’Methly next sign the contract,” Cejudo wrote.
Check out Henry Cejudo's X post below:
During fight week of UFC 332, Talbott shared that there was talk about him fighting 'Suga' back in June at UFC Fight Night 250 at the White House, but the matchup never got booked, and the former bantamweight champion instead faced Aiemann Zahabi.
That said, O'Malley has not yet reacted to Talbott's claim about talks for a fight at UFC Fight Night 250.
Could a Payton Talbott vs. Sean O'Malley matchup be made next?
O'Malley lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision at UFC 306. Then, in the rematch, 'Suga' got submitted in the second round at UFC 316 in June last year.
Since losing twice to Dvalishvili, O'Malley has bounced back and secured two big wins. In his most recent UFC outing, he delivered a spectacular performance by knocking out Aiemann Zahabi in the second round at the White House.
Now, O'Malley has wins over two bantamweight contenders, and he believes he will get the next title opportunity if Petr Yan successfully defends his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch at UFC 333.
O'Malley has said that he will make his decision for his next UFC outing after seeing what happens between Yan and Dvalishvili, which is just three weeks away.
Meanwhile, Talbott has also emerged as a potential contender after his impressive win over Figueiredo. The possibility of him getting a shot at O'Malley is still there, as it would be an exciting matchup between two of the division's most elite strikers, and the UFC could show interest in making it.
The picture for a potential Talbott vs. O'Malley showdown should become clearer after what happens in the co-main event of UFC 333.
Another bantamweight contender, Song Yadong, is also in the title mix after his knockout win over Umar Nurmagomedov in August. So the possibility of him facing Talbott is there as well.
