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Top Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott<\/strong> scored the biggest victory of his career when he ran through former two-time Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo<\/strong> at UFC 332 this past weekend (Sat., Oct. 3, 2026) inside Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah (watch highlights).<\/p>\n Immediately afterward, Talbott called out former Bantamweight champion Sean O\u2019Malley<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t run forever,\u201d Talbott said.<\/p>\n Earlier in the week, Talbott claimed that O\u2019Malley had turned down a fight against him at UFC Freedom 250. Now, \u201cSuga\u201d is pushing back \u2014 and according to him, that offer never existed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll address the ducking allegations first of all,\u201d O\u2019Malley said on The SuGuru Show<\/em>. \u201cI don\u2019t like bringing family into this, but I swear on my family that I did not get offered Payton Talbott at the White House.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s the thing: if he can also swear that he did, then there was miscommunication somewhere along the line.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Malley, however, believes Talbott simply invented the story.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like he made it up,\u201d O\u2019Malley continued. \u201cI don\u2019t think he ever got offered me. I can\u2019t imagine them offering someone a fight without asking \u2018Suga,\u2019 the A-side. They asked this guy? They would ask me. I never got offered Payton Talbott at the White House, so that\u2019s that. He called me out, and that sounds good.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Malley isn\u2019t opposed to fighting Talbott, particularly if Petr Yan<\/strong> loses his upcoming rubber match against Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili<\/strong> at UFC 333 later this month.<\/p>\n However, if Yan recaptures the title, \u201cSuga\u201d would rather pursue the tougher \u2014 and more rewarding \u2014 matchup.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Petr goes out there and loses, let\u2019s squabble,\u201d O\u2019Malley said. \u201cMe and Payton, let\u2019s make it happen. If Petr goes out there and wins, I\u2019m ducking Talbott for a tougher fight. I\u2019m ducking him for Petr Yan.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Malley also pointed toward his recent strength of schedule as evidence that he has never avoided difficult competition.<\/p>\n \u201cFour of my last seven fights have been against three of the greatest Bantamweights of all time: Petr, Aljamain Sterling and Merab,\u201d O\u2019Malley said. \u201cAnd I beat Merab once, so I\u2019ve beaten all three of the greatest Bantamweights of all time. I ain\u2019t ducking.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Malley then joked that he doesn\u2019t exactly fit the profile of Talbott\u2019s previous two opponents. The 28-year-old prospect has now defeated former Flyweight champions Figueiredo and Henry Cejudo<\/strong>, both of whom are considerably shorter and older than him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would I fight this f\u2014king tall, lanky, good striker when I can fight Petr Yan?\u201d O\u2019Malley joked. \u201cShould I go down to \u201925 and then bounce back up?\u201d<\/p>\n Despite questioning Talbott\u2019s version of events, O\u2019Malley remains a fan of the surging contender and appreciates the free publicity that came with the callout.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember watching Payton Talbott on Contender Series<\/em>, and I was like, \u2018That motherf\u2014ker is sick,\u2019\u201d O\u2019Malley said. \u201cI knew I\u2019d probably fight him someday.<\/p>\n \u201cI like his style inside the Octagon and outside the Octagon. He\u2019s got swag. This is what you want in the sport. You want people calling you out. You want your name out there. It\u2019s a fun stylistic fight. I like that. It\u2019s good for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Several pieces still need to fall into place before O\u2019Malley vs. Talbott becomes a reality, beginning with the UFC 333 Bantamweight title fight.<\/p>\n But after Talbott\u2019s public callout and O\u2019Malley\u2019s response, the groundwork has officially been laid.<\/p>\n