UFC bantamweight king Sean O’Malley returns to action this weekend at the UFC 306 (Noche UFC) pay-per-view. The “Suga Show” is to make a second defense of the undisputed gold so that it stays that way. En route to prime fame and fandom like consensus superstar Conor McGregor and the recent surging Ilia Topuria, he meets No. 1 ranking title challenger Merab Dvalishvili.
Should he get past the dangerous Georgian at this weekend’s Noche, Sean O’Malley would have made the case for being the absolute best. The only deterrent is how famous the Spaniard ‘El Matador’ already is. Manchester’s own Brendan Loughnane, 30-5 in pro-MMA stats, knows a thing or two about fandom. Specifically, Loughnane gives his hot take on the competition.
Talks the talk, fights the fight, he’s got his podcast, and all of his media is bang on…he’s got the hair, got the style, got the image – he is, right now, the total package…Do you know what, there’s one man we’re missing out here, Ilia Topuria – I’d put him above Sean right now, I really would. He’s fu*king walking out in front of the Bernabeu…Ilia Topuria has just knocked out our guy Volk, who is pound-for-pound wherever.
Brendan Loughnane to Adam Catterall for ‘Uncaged’ with talkSport MMA (@talkSPORTMMA)
O’Malley won the gold of a champion who was the best in the 135-pound mark with the most consecutive title victories. He then landed 220 significant strikes at his maiden defense in Miami. It even won him the 2024 ESPY for Best UFC Fighter Award. People write him off as a media sensation, but Loughnane argues that ‘Suga’ walks the walk with fashion and function.
Don’t miss the latest episode of UNCAGED where Brendan Loughnane joins Adam Catterall once again to talk us through the biggest UFC fights coming to a screen near you very soon, including Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili. https://t.co/et8IrNCnsJ
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 11, 2024
He argues with the likes of Israel Adesanya recently losing, G.O.A.T. Jon Jones MIA, and the likes of Islam Makhachev/Alex Pereira not appealing as much to the neo fandom, O’Malley is it. A true brand-value champion who is also unquestionably one of the UFCs biggest active stars. But so is Ilia Topuria, who can sell out Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu. Loughnane continued with his rather bold take on the matter before this week’s UFC 306 Noche spectacle.
Brendan Loughnane: Champ Ilia Topuria on a ‘faster train’ to super fandom
The bantamweight champ called Topuria out after he battered Marlon Vera for a defense of the championship gold. Despite the callout, Topuria respects the UFC 306 annual Noche PPV star – the ‘showman’ Sean O’Malley. He respects his power and skills. However, that is not to say Topuria is not similarly popular on his own. UFC 145-pound champion Ilia Topuria is a brand in his own right.
Ilia Topuria is on unparalleled roll (Source: es.agfight.com)Team Climent Club’s featherweight standout won his undisputed gold just a card before O’Malley’s maiden defense in Miami. The Alicante-Georgian fighter, 15-0 MMA and 7-0 UFC did not mince his words when trying to tout himself as undefeated. Subsequently, he stayed true to those resolves. He took the honorary kick-off at the Real Madrid vs. Sevilla game. Topuria even met with the president of Spain.
He even took over the Super Bowl LVIII Radio Row, Jack Slack Podcast 164, and received an ovation at the El Hormiguero Interview. The UFC is aware of the attention that the German-born standout brings and is even eyeing a prize fight at El Bernabéu. The Spaniard is also a major stakeholder in Way of Warrior FC.
I just know what’s going on… I know the type of deals that he’s getting, I know the type of circles he’s moving in, he’s had less fights than Sean in the UFC and I just feel like his train is moving faster at the minute.
Brendan Loughnane further said
Given all that, and the fact he knocked out once UFC top pound-for-pound Alexander Volkanovski, Loughnane says he’s just on a better trajectory. More so than Sean O’Malley at the moment. Ilia Topuria is also prepping to log a maiden title defense at the UFC 308 PPV next. If he gets past consensus hard-chin Max Holloway at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, his case to bigger fandom is that much easier.
