UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is considering moving up to the featherweight division to challenge Ilia Topuria, but first must defend his title against Marlon Vera at UFC 299, according to his jiu-jitsu coach Augusto Mendes.
Sean O’Malley’s got his sights set on the bantamweight division. But, he’s not ruling out a featherweight challenge against Ilia Topuria.
He’s defending his UFC bantamweight title this Saturday. His opponent? Marlon Vera. The event? UFC 299 in Miami.
His jiu-jitsu coach, Augusto Mendes, spilled the beans. He told MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast that “Sugar” is considering packing on an extra 10 pounds to take on Topuria. The Spanish sensation recently KO’d 145-pound champ Alexander Volkanovski, snagging the UFC featherweight title.
Mendes thinks O’Malley’s got the right body for featherweight. He’s tall, for one. “If he has time to build muscle mass and get stronger, he’s a tough fight for anyone up there,” Mendes said.
Merab Dvalishvili might be next for the bantamweight belt. He defeated Henry Cejudo in February. But, a Topuria vs. O’Malley match depends on other factors.
Mendes knows the game. “The UFC is a business, it’s money,” he said. “They’ll go wherever there’s money. If it’s Merab or Topuria, I believe [O’Malley] is a good matchup against either.”
He thinks Topuria would be a tougher fight than Merab. Why? “He’s a boxer, he’s very calm. He’s shown that against Volkanovski. He’s patient, and like Sean, he has punching power.”
Sean wants big fights. Like McGregor. “He didn’t defend his belt after he beat [Jose] Aldo, he [moved up to lightweight] and the money was there, and he performed. I don’t know what the UFC will decide when it’s Sean’s turn.”
O’Malley’s not ready to leave the division. But he’s not about to pass up an opportunity. “If there’s a chance for the [featherweight] belt, he’ll go for it,” Mendes added.
But first, O’Malley has to beat “Chito” at UFC 299. That keeps his fights with Dvalishvili and Topuria alive. Mendes recalls their first clash in 2020. O’Malley injured his ankle early on and was TKO’d moments later.
“That fight doesn’t reflect much on what Sean can do,” Mendes said. “He lost. It happened, but we believe he would have found a way to win by knockout if there was no injury.”
He thinks Sean could’ve done more. “He’s way better now than he was back then, and we believe Vera is too despite the setbacks and losses in his career.”
Vera won his last fight, but it wasn’t convincing. “What made him fight for the belt was his history with Sean, that’s what’s selling this. And we wanted this fight as well to prove what happened was kind of an accident. Let’s see who’s right now.”
O’Malley’s got a plan. “He’s planning on going there and dominating, knocking him out. We respect Marlon Vera a lot and know his potential. We don’t think it’s an easy fight. We took this camp very seriously and we know it’s a tough fight.”