Sean O’Malley Handed Brutal Rejection as Ilia Topuria Targets Conor McGregor Despite Official Alexander Volkanovski Fight Onboard for UFC 298- “Come as a Fanboy”

Ilia Topuria may have a brilliant opponent in Alexander Volkanovski. But he’s already looking at his future after the UFC 298 fight. The 17th of February bout is all set to pit the two featherweights against each other with Volkanovski’s title on the line. For Topuria, it’s just one stepping stone to fighting some of the best.

However, it would appear that Sean O’Malley doesn’t quite make that list. In a recent online exchange, Topuria called O’Malley out for fighting at bantamweight while he fought at 145 pounds himself. Here’s more on the story and how Conor McGregor was also name-dropped in the same X post.

Ilia Topuria rejects ‘Suga’ and wants the Irishman

Ilia Topuria has already eyed a fight with the returning Irishman. Meanwhile, the only people on Conor McGregor’s radar seems to be his next opponent, Michael Chandler, and for some reason, Manny Pacquiao. However, in Topuria’s mind, McGregor is the perfect opponent.

Sean O’Malley may have shown interest in fighting Topuria but the rejection was both, swift and brutal. O’Malley is the current bantamweight champion and yet, Topuria has no interest in changing his weight class. Then, his fight against ‘The Great’ might be his best shot at eventually facing McGregor.

“I offered to fight you but the UFC told me that you are only good for fighting in teenagers’ places, because that’s your only fan base .Our fight will never happen.” He tweeted at O’Malley. “After fighting Volk I will fight Conor. and you will come as a fan boy. After seeing your ppv numbers the only thing I can offer you is that you fight in the preliminaries of my card.”

If Topuria becomes a champion, there is a possibility that McGregor could face him to reclaim the UFC Featherweight championship that he never defended. It seems unlikely however as ‘Mystic Mac’ has jumped up in weight class drastically from his featherweight days.

Conor McGregor and his middleweight quest

Conor McGregor is returning to the Octagon on June 29th, 2024. He will come back to fight Michael Chandler at 185 pounds which is at middleweight. Both the fighters will have to put on a significant amount of weight to get there. But this makes sense for McGregor.

Also Read: Conor McGregor 185 Lbs: Why It Makes Sense for the Irish Star to Fight Michael Chandler at UFC MW Division

Think about it, he is perhaps the richest UFC fighter out there. Moreover, he’s already been crowned the lightweight and the featherweight champion once in the past. A multi-divisional champ, McGregor has little reason to return to a weight class he’s already conquered once. Money is also no longer an object for him. His only motivation could be becoming a champion of three divisions. And that might just be his plan. So will Topuria’s wishes fall flat? What are your thoughts?

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