Sean O’Malley, Ilia Topuria plant seeds for future fight: ‘Get through Volk and I’ll decide’

A little over a week after Sean O’Malley captured the UFC bantamweight title, the likely next featherweight title challenger is throwing his name in the hat for a future appearance on “The Sugar Show.”

Following Saturday’s UFC Singapore event — which saw Max Holloway knock out The Korean Zombie in the main event — Ilia Topuria gave his thoughts on the fight, before turning his attention to featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, as well as O’Malley.

“I respect these two [Holloway and Korean Zombie], but it’s time for them to retire,” Topuria said. “[O’Malley], keep rising up, and maybe one day we’ll share the octagon, and you [Volkanovski], get ready to tap out! The masterclass is coming for you.”

O’Malley, who knocked out Aljamain Sterling in the main event of UFC 292 earlier this month to capture the 135-pound title, didn’t take long to respond to Topuria’s challenge.

“I have risen. Your turn to rise up,” O’Malley said in response.

“I see this fight as too easy of a challenge, I would like to find convincing reasons to face you, but at the moment, I can’t seem to find anything that captures my [attention],” Topuria stated. “Keep rising and let’s see if someday you deserve my time.”

O’Malley is well aware of what will me the probable next step for Topuria, which is a showdown with Volkanovski for the title, and should the rising contender pull of the upset against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, that would get O’Malley’s attention.

While it seemed like both fighters got to say what they needed to, Topuria took thinks in a different direction when it comes to fellow Georgian fighter and top-ranked bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili.

“You [won’t] get passed [Merab] to come see me, so sit and wait like the good little dog you are,” said Topuria.