Sean O’Malley says the White House fight with Payton Talbott was never on the table.
Before UFC 332, Talbott suggested on his YouTube channel that he had been lined up to face O’Malley at UFC Freedom 250 in June. He implied O’Malley turned it down.
On Saturday in Salt Lake City, Talbott stopped Deiveson Figueiredo in the first round of the co-main event. He then told O’Malley he “can’t run forever.”
O’Malley had already responded to the YouTube claims before the event. He dressed like Talbott in a video first shared on his Instagram story and reposted on X by Championship Rounds.
I’m here to f—-ing address these rumors that I got offered Payton Talbott for the White House. That is just absolutely bulls—-.
After Talbott’s callout, O’Malley followed up on his Instagram story by pointing to his recent competition.
4 out of the last 7 fights have been against three of the greatest bantamweights of all time. Ain’t ducking no one.
That stretch includes wins over Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling, plus two fights with Merab Dvalishvili.
O’Malley (20-3, 1 NC) stopped Aiemann Zahabi in the second round at the White House on June 14. It was his second straight win after back-to-back losses to Dvalishvili, following a decision over Song Yadong in January.
Talbott (12-1) has won three straight, including a decision over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in December.
