UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley has experienced a change of heart.
O’Malley, who first meets Marlon Vera on March 9 at UFC 299, said this week that he would seek a champ-vs.-champ showdown with newly crowned featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria over defending his belt against Merab Dvalishvili (assuming he gets by “Chito”). But after receiving criticism from fans on social media, it appears he’s taken those messages into consideration.
“Let me start with this: Initially I was calling for Ilia. I wanted the Ilia fight. It excites me, but I also thought the fans would get excited about it. I got a lot of pushback saying, ‘You’re ducking Merab, Merab is next,’ so Merab is next,” O’Malley said Thursday on his YouTube channel. “Let’s do Merab. I’m telling you guys: I knock Merab out.”
