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Umar Nurmagomedov thinks Ilia Topuria is a bad matchup for Sean O’Malley.
Bantamweight champion O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) called out featherweight champ Topuria after his lopsided beating of Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 main event Saturday.
Nurmagomedov is not a fan of the callout, not only because he sees Merab Dvalishvili as a clear-cut No. 1 contender, but he sees undefeated Topuria being too dangerous for O’Malley.
“He’s talking about Ilia Topuria – for me, it doesn’t make sense,” Nurmagomedov told ESPN. “Ilia’s going to maybe kill this guy because he’s too big, and right now, Ilia’s too dangerous for him, I think. When you go up, change weight, for O’Malley, he’s going to lose nothing.
“He’s healthy. That’s maybe why he wants to go up – make some money. Even if he will lose, he’s going to stay champion at bantamweight, right? Right now, it makes sense in our division – the guy (with the 10-fight winning streak), Merab has to fight for the title.”
Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who’s coming off of a win over newcomer Bekzat Almakhan at UFC Fight Night 238, is hoping his previously scrapped bout with Cory Sandhagen gets rebooked next.
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