O'Malley Denies Ducking Talbott, Says No White House Card Offer Made

Sean O'Malley has pushed back on suggestions that he is avoiding Payton Talbott, saying he was never offered the bantamweight contender for the White House card.

O'Malley said he is not ducking anyone and that no fight with Talbott was put in front of him for the event. The exchange adds a new layer to the bantamweight conversation, which may hinge on the outcome of Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3 at UFC 333.

O'Malley, nicknamed "Suga," is 20-3 and ranked second at bantamweight. The 31-year-old American trains out of MMA Lab and fights from a switch stance. He lands 6.05 significant strikes per minute at 60 percent accuracy, one of the sharper striking efficiency numbers among the division's elite. At five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach, he uses his length to control range.

Talbott is 12-1 and sits 11th in the bantamweight rankings. The 28-year-old American represents Reno Academy of Combat and also fights switch. He is a high-volume striker, landing 6.62 significant strikes per minute with 56 percent accuracy, and stands five-foot-ten with a 70-inch reach. He averages 0.78 takedowns per 15 minutes, showing a wrestling element that O'Malley's 0.24 does not match.

Why it matters

• O'Malley's denial pushes back on the narrative that he is sidestepping a rising challenger, while making clear the matchup was never formally proposed to him for the White House card.
• Talbott, ranked 11th, would be fighting up in the rankings against a top-two opponent, a significant step for a fighter with just one loss.
• The bantamweight picture remains fluid, with the next move potentially tied to the result of Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3 at UFC 333.
• Stylistically, a matchup would pit two switch-stance strikers with near-identical output against each other, with Talbott holding the edge in takedown frequency.