Talbott calls out O'Malley after UFC 332 demolition, but Yan-Dvalishvili holds the key

Payton Talbott dismantled former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in just over two minutes at UFC 332 on Saturday, then wasted no time pointing at Sean O’Malley as his next target. The unbeaten bantamweight prospect made the callout at the post-fight press conference, but acknowledged that events at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on October 24 may ultimately shape his immediate future.

The fight Talbott wants hinges on what happens when Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili settle their trilogy. O’Malley has already lost to Dvalishvili twice, making a third matchup between them a hard sell. A Yan victory, however, would reopen the title picture for O’Malley — who holds a win over the Russian — and could push the former champion toward a marquee fight with Talbott instead of waiting in line for another belt shot.

“We’ll see what happens with Merab and Yan,” Talbott said. “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.”

Talbott, riding a three-fight winning streak, is aware he sits below O’Malley in the rankings but believes the stylistic matchup is compelling enough to make it happen regardless.

“He is a higher position than me, we’ll see where my rank goes,” Talbott said. “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.”

For Talbott, the appeal goes beyond rankings. He sees O’Malley as a stylistically ideal opponent — a fellow striker of similar build who would allow him to showcase his power and speed at 135 pounds.

“We’ll just have to fight to really find out,” he said. “I personally like when people are similar to my body frame — I do a lot better. 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.”

Whether O’Malley accepts the challenge or pivots toward a title rematch will likely become clearer once the dust settles in Abu Dhabi later this month.