TLDR
- Payton Talbott knocked out former champion Deiveson Figueiredo in just over two minutes at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City
- Talbott has now finished two former UFC champions in consecutive fights and is calling for a bout with Sean O’Malley
- O’Malley denied rumors he was offered to fight Talbott at UFC Freedom 250 and is not showing interest in the matchup
- Talbott believes the fight makes sense if Merab Dvalishvili beats Petr Yan at UFC 333, as O’Malley has lost to Dvalishvili twice
- O’Malley is on a two-fight winning streak and appears focused on another title shot after beating Song Yadong and Aiemann Zahabi
Sources: mmamania.com | mmasucka.com | lowkickmma.com
Payton Talbott made quick work of former UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 332 on October 3, knocking him out in just over two minutes. The 28-year-old wasted no time calling out Sean O’Malley immediately after the victory.
“I just mopped the floor with two champions back to back, and now I want another one,” Talbott said during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “Andrew Garfield — I mean Sean O’Malley! You can’t run forever. Give the people what they want!”
Sean O'Malley roasts Henry Cejudo while talking about his fight with Payton Talbott😭
"Payton's coming off a big win over… what's that little fucking guy's name?… Olympic gold medalist… Henry, who is also an undefeated boxer."
Via @TimwelchMT pic.twitter.com/zNQpCcQ4Xa
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) October 2, 2026
The knockout of Figueiredo at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City marks Talbott’s second consecutive win over a former UFC champion. He is now pushing hard for a fight with O’Malley, but the former bantamweight champion appears to have no interest in the matchup.
White House Fight Rumors Denied
Tension between the two fighters escalated when Talbott suggested O’Malley avoided fighting him at UFC Freedom 250, the historic White House event in June 2026. In a YouTube video, Talbott claimed he was supposed to fight O’Malley at the event but said his opponent had a broken foot.
O’Malley quickly shut down those claims on Instagram Stories. “That’s just absolutely bullshit,” O’Malley said while sporting a look resembling Talbott. He made it clear he was never offered the fight for that event.
O’Malley instead fought Aiemann Zahabi at the White House card, winning by second-round TKO. He previously defeated Song Yadong by unanimous decision at UFC 324 in his first fight back after losing to Merab Dvalishvili.
Title Picture Complicates Potential Matchup
At the UFC 332 post-fight press conference, Talbott acknowledged that getting O’Malley to accept the fight depends largely on upcoming title fights. The current bantamweight champion Petr Yan is scheduled to face Dvalishvili for the third time at UFC 333 on November 24.
“I think if Merab wins, then it’s a no-brainer,” Talbott said about fighting O’Malley. “He’s already fought Merab a bunch of times and lost.”
O’Malley lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 via unanimous decision. He failed to recapture the belt in an immediate rematch at UFC 316, where Dvalishvili submitted him in the second round.
Dvalishvili then lost the championship to Yan at UFC 323 in a lopsided unanimous decision. O’Malley holds a controversial decision win over Yan from an earlier fight, which could position him for another title shot if Yan wins again.
Talbott understands the complicated situation. “If Yan wins then I don’t know, we’ll have to see,” he said. “He is in a higher position than me, we’ll see where my rank goes. So I understand the position that I’m in.”
Despite the rankings difference, Talbott believes the fight makes sense from a competitive standpoint. “It’s a fun fight. I think both of us should want it,” Talbott explained. “He’s called the best striker in the division and I’d like to put that to the test.”
O’Malley has been reflecting on his career accomplishments recently, posting on social media about his journey from an unknown fighter to UFC champion. “Follow your dreams fam,” he wrote in a recent post celebrating his rise to the top of the sport.
The former champion never quite achieved his goal of becoming a two-division champion or surpassing Conor McGregor as the biggest MMA star. But with two consecutive wins, O’Malley appears focused on getting back to a title shot rather than entertaining a fight with the surging Talbott.
