Overview
- Payton Talbott finished former champion Deiveson Figueiredo with a first‑round TKO at UFC 332, then used his post‑fight interview to publicly call out Sean O’Malley.
- Talbott said he had previously been offered a fight with O’Malley, a claim that O’Malley has denied on his podcast and called a misunderstanding.
- O’Malley said he would consider fighting Talbott only if Petr Yan loses to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333 and otherwise plans to pursue a rematch with Yan.
- Former champion and commentator Daniel Cormier and other pundits have urged the UFC to book O’Malley vs. Talbott, but the promotion has not officially scheduled the bout.
- The matchup’s fate now depends on the title fight result and UFC matchmaking choices, with a Talbott win continuing his rapid rise and an O’Malley win likely closing the immediate path to this fight.