Joe Rogan Wants Sean O'Malley vs. Payton Talbott But Sees One Major Roadblock

If there's a fight to make in the bantamweight division, Joe Rogan believes it is Sean O'Malley vs. Payton Talbott. The potential clash has dominated headlines for a hot minute now. However, one crucial condition could derail the fight, and Saturday's UFC 333 plays a central role in that.

Joe Rogan Backs Sean O'Malley vs. Payton Talbott

Within just the 2:09 mark of his last fight, Payton Talbott stopped Deiveson Figueiredo dead in the tracks with a brutal elbow-knee combo. Soon after, the rising bantamweight set his sights on his third former UFC champion prey: Sean O'Malley. But Talbott isn't the only one rallying for this matchup; Joe Rogan has joined the conversation.

In a section of the latest episode of his podcast, Rogan backed the fight with a clear explanation of what exactly made it so intriguing. Talbott's appeal mainly boils down to two things: his grappling and his energy.

“He’s so good, I really hope that fight with him and Suga Sean O’Malley takes place. I really hope that takes place, because I think that is a gigantic fight, and such a good fight on paper.

"(Talbott) can wrestle, he certainly did with (Henry) Cejudo, that is a part of his game that just jumped up after his (Raoni) Barcelos fight. When he took Cejudo down I was like, ‘This is madness,’ this kid is special, he’s very special, he’s very very unique with his approach to this and he loves this, he loves competing and fighting.”

While Sean O'Malley is a striking genius himself, fans have seen experienced grapplers successfully disrupt his rhythm. Two back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili, who kept 'Suga' in hot water throughout the fight, despite a near-perfect UFC record, make that gap in his fighting style even more glaring.

Although O'Malley has since bounced back with a 2-fight winning streak, whether he can get through an elite wrestler remains to be seen. However, something else occupies the ex-UFC champion's mind currently.

Why The Matchup May Need To Wait

Sean O'Malley still reigns at the top of the bantamweight division. Fighting down a new prospect surely doesn't make the most sense for his career trajectory, especially if a Petr Yan rematch comes with the title.

The Russian fighter had challenged Suga to a striking fest at UFC 280. The fight that went down to the wire ultimately saw Sean O'Malley's hand raised. However, the matchup is regarded by many as razor-close. Joe Rogan believes that will decide whether Payton Talbott gets his way or not.

“I understand Sean’s position, though, if I was Sean I would not take that fight right now either because Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are going to fight and if Petr Yan wins again, the big fight is Yan vs. O’Malley because their last fight was close… The money is there. That’s the fight you want, yeah the Talbott fight would be good for the fans, but that’s not the fight to make right now.”

Petr Yan returns for a trilogy with Merab Dvalishvili on Saturday, co-headlining UFC 333 in his first bantamweight title defense. If Yan gets the win, O'Malley would definitely want a rematch for the title shot. However, if Dvalishvili gets the job done, Song Yadong likely makes the most sense for his next title defense.