Talbott Lays Out O'Malley Terms After UFC 332 Win

Payton Talbott says a win for Merab Dvalishvili over Petr Yan at UFC 333 would make a fight with Sean O'Malley "a no-brainer," while a Yan victory muddies the path entirely.

Talbott detailed his thinking at the UFC 332 post-fight press conference, hours after finishing former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in just over two minutes to run his win streak to three. He wants Sean O'Malley next, but by his own admission, the matchup hinges on how the Dvalishvili-Yan trilogy fight plays out at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi.

"If Merab wins then it's a no-brainer," Talbott said. "He's already fought Merab plenty of times and lost. If Yan wins, then I don't know, we'll have to see."

Why the Yan-Dvalishvili Result Changes Everything for O'Malley

A third loss to Merab Dvalishvili would almost certainly push Sean O'Malley away from an immediate rematch and open him up to a fresh name like Talbott. O'Malley has already lost to Dvalishvili twice, and a third defeat for the champion at UFC 333 would make a trilogy rematch a tough sell for the UFC to book again so soon.

A Petr Yan win flips the picture. O'Malley holds a win over Yan from their 2022 fight, a result that helped launch O'Malley into title contention before he won the belt. If Yan dethrones Dvalishvili, the UFC has an obvious buy-back option for O'Malley at the top of the division, and Talbott would likely have to wait or look elsewhere.

Talbott, the UFC's number 12 ranked bantamweight, also acknowledged the rankings gap between himself and O'Malley plays into whether the promotion green-lights the fight regardless of the Abu Dhabi result. "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."

How Talbott Thinks He Matches Up Stylistically

Talbott believes his frame and power give him a real stylistic edge over O'Malley. "Stylistically, I feel like we match up very well," he said. "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." He added that fighting opponents closer to his own size suits him better, saying bigger-framed opponents are more comfortable for him to deal with than smaller ones.

Betting Angle

Talbott enters this conversation off real momentum, three straight finishes capped by a two-minute demolition of Deiveson Figueiredo, and books tend to reward that kind of form with live underdog or pick'em numbers against a name like O'Malley rather than the lopsided lines a less proven 135-pounder would draw. If Dvalishvili beats Yan at UFC 333 and the UFC books O'Malley against Talbott, expect oddsmakers to lean on O'Malley's striking pedigree and name recognition to make him the favorite, but not by a wide margin given Talbott's power and finishing rate. If Yan wins instead and O'Malley gets fast-tracked back into the title picture, the Talbott fight likely goes on hold, and any futures bets on Talbott facing O'Malley this year become dead money.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Payton Talbott say about fighting Sean O'Malley?

Payton Talbott said at the UFC 332 post-fight press conference that he wants to fight Sean O'Malley next, and that a win for Merab Dvalishvili over Petr Yan at UFC 333 would make the matchup a no-brainer.

Why does the Yan vs. Dvalishvili fight matter for a Talbott vs. O'Malley matchup?

Sean O'Malley has already lost to Merab Dvalishvili twice, so another Dvalishvili win likely pushes O'Malley toward a new opponent like Payton Talbott, while a Petr Yan win, over a fighter O'Malley has already beaten, could instead set up O'Malley for another title shot.

What is Payton Talbott's UFC record and ranking?

Payton Talbott is 11-1 in the UFC and ranked in the bantamweight division after finishing Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 332 to extend his win streak to three.