O'Malley admits he's 'ducking' Talbott — but only to chase Petr Yan rematch

Sean O’Malley has made his bantamweight priorities clear: a rematch with Petr Yan outranks any fight with the surging Payton Talbott, and he is not apologising for it.

Talbott (12-1) forced the conversation after dismantling Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City and calling out O’Malley in his post-fight interview. The unbeaten contender also claims O’Malley turned down a fight against him for UFC Freedom 250 in June — a claim O’Malley flatly denies, saying he was never formally offered the bout.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, O’Malley framed his decision around the upcoming UFC 333 title fight between champion Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili, scheduled for Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. “Petr goes out there and loses, let’s squabble, me and Payton,” O’Malley said. “Let’s make it happen. Petr goes out there and wins, I’m ducking [Talbott]. I’m ducking him for a tougher fight. I’m ducking him for Petr Yan.”

O’Malley’s interest in Yan is personal as much as strategic. The former champion edged Yan via split decision in their first meeting in 2022 and wants to settle the rivalry with a cleaner result. If Yan retains the title against Dvalishvili, O’Malley sees that rematch as the only logical next step for him.

The 30-year-old pushed back on any suggestion that he avoids difficult opponents, pointing to a recent run that included fights against Yan, former champion Aljamain Sterling, and Dvalishvili himself. “I have fought four of the greatest bantamweights of all time — Petr, Aljo, Merab, and I beat Merab once,” O’Malley said. “So, I beat three of the greatest bantamweights of all time. I ain’t ducking.”

O’Malley most recently knocked out Aiemann Zahabi at the White House event, keeping himself active while the title picture resolves. The outcome of UFC 333 will effectively determine whether Talbott gets his shot at “Suga” — or has to wait.