O’Malley is gearing up for his first defense of the UFC bantamweight title on March 9 in a rematch against Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299. If he emerges victorious, he might find himself squaring off against one of the two standout performers from the previous weekend’s event.
Prior to UFC 298, O’Malley floated the idea of a champion vs. champion showdown against Ilia Topuria if the Spaniard managed to defeat Alexander Volkanovski, which he did with a remarkable second-round knockout to claim the UFC featherweight title.
Meanwhile, fellow bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili showcased his dominance by defeating Henry Cejudo at UFC 298, extending his impressive 10-fight win streak, and then promptly called out O’Malley for a shot at the 135-pound belt.
Reacting to these performances on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, O’Malley shared his thoughts, stating, “Volk coming off that nasty KO not too long ago, Ilia’s confidence that high, how dangerous he is — I had a feeling that Ilia was going to win.”
He continued, “He knocked out the featherweight GOAT in Round 2. I knocked out [Aljamain Sterling], bantamweight GOAT, in Round 2. I’ve kind of pushed that fight a little bit.”
O’Malley acknowledged receiving criticism for his stance, particularly regarding Dvalishvili, but emphasized his focus on what he perceives as an exciting matchup. However, he expressed readiness to face Dvalishvili if necessary, stating, “If Merab is next, Merab is next. I can get Ilia whenever, whenever the time comes.”
Despite O’Malley and his coach Tim Welch, advocating for a potential superfight with Topuria, the interest from the latter has not been reciprocated. Topuria dismissed the idea ahead of UFC 298, suggesting that O’Malley still has “a lot to prove” at 135 pounds and predicting Vera’s victory at UFC 299.
Moreover, UFC CEO Dana White identified Dvalishvili as the next No. 1 bantamweight contender at UFC 298’s post-fight press conference following Dvalishvili’s remarkable win streak.
However, O’Malley remains undeterred. He believes that his performance against Vera at UFC 299 will dictate his next move. O’Malley and Dvalishvili have exchanged words from a distance since an incident in May when Dvalishvili took O’Malley’s jacket during an in-cage faceoff with Sterling.
While O’Malley admitted some surprise at Dvalishvili’s dominant performance against Cejudo, he also noted rumors about Cejudo’s preparation.
O’Malley emphasized that the entire discussion would be moot if he didn’t defeat Vera at UFC 299. He remains confident in his ability to continue his winning streak, regardless of the opponent.
“There’s Merab, there’s Cory [Sandhagen], there’s Ilia,” O’Malley said. “Again, I’m — boom — laser focused, dialed into March 9. Whatever happens after that, I’m very confident in.” He added, “Merab is very beatable. Henry about knocked him out, Marlon Moraes about knocked him out. Merab’s got a crazy good gas tank, he’s got good wrestling, and he’s a dangerous opponent.”
In conclusion, O’Malley is prepared for whatever challenge comes his way, but for now, his primary focus is on his upcoming bout with Vera.
