- Michael Bisping is impressed of how Sean O’Malley has been quickly evolving as a fighter
- “The Count” explained why he believes Ilia Topuria vs. “Sugar” isn’t that bad
Michael Bisping could see the bright side of Sean O’Malley’s plan to move up and take on Ilia Topuria.
Sean is now a superstar
Speaking on his Believe You Me podcast, “The Count” raved about O’Malley’s phenomenal performance against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. Bisping then concluded that “Sugar” is now officially one of the biggest draws in the UFC.
“His stock just went through the roof. I mean you talk about living up to the moment, became the champion, knocked out Aljamain Sterling, beat Chito Vera in utterly convincing fashion, getting more and more powerful…. Everything about him, the evolution from when he first started you know and it makes you have a bit more respect for guys like Kris Moutinho and Thomas Almeida and the guys that he stopped in the past… the man’s got some serious power,” Bisping said of O’Malley.
How Topuria vs. O’Malley could be good for the UFC
O’Malley seems serious about moving up to the featherweight division for a super fight with Topuria. Many, including Bisping, think that the bantamweight champ has a lot of contenders to beat in his division so it’s a bit premature to go to 145 at this point.
However, “The Count” pointed out that as far as being a “spectacle” goes, and if the fighters involved have no issues fighting right away, O’Malley vs. Topuria could also be good. The way Bisping sees it, Alexander Volkanovski could get enough rest and challenge the winner just in time and in that case, the UFC fans get to enjoy massive fights without waiting for too long.
“So in no way am I advocating for Sean O’Malley to step up, I think there should be a hard and fast rule [that] unless there’s no clear-cut contenders, you’re got to defend about three times before you move up but just if we’re playing in the spirit of a devil’s avocado right, think about it like this: Sean O’Malley gets the jet from Dana, flies off to Spain, we have the fight, relatively quick turnaround because he just fought as well. That gives Volkanovski a bit more time to rest and recover you know and just for the sheer spectacle of it you know, I mean, if they could do it quick… listen, you gotta fight the contenders of course, you do, we know that, but if they’re willing to do it quickly so the rest of the division doesn’t have to wait, Merab just fought you know what I mean… if they’re willing to do it quick, get the jet!,” Bisping pictured.
As it stands, O’Malley is also interested in making his boxing debut. Topuria, meanwhile, is not tempted to face “Sugar” as he believes O’Malley should win more title fights before he possibly considers it.
Watch Bisping’s full podcast episode below:
