Sean O’Malley eyes winner of Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway; predicts the UFC 308 main event: “I do like keeping it interesting"

Ilia Topuria has been on Sean O'Malley's radar for some time, and the bantamweight champion has previously expressed interest in fighting him. With the Spaniard set to face Max Holloway at UFC 308, 'Sugar' recently hinted at possibly facing the winner of their clash.

O'Malley will be defending his bantamweight title roughly two months before 'El Matador', when the 29-year-old welcomes challenger Merab Dvalishvili into the octagon for a five-round title fight.

Their clash headlines a much-anticipated UFC Noche card, set to happen on 14 September at The Sphere. Should O'Malley successfully defend his 135-pound title against 'The Machine', he will be eyeing a potential clash with the winner of Topuria vs. Holloway.

During a recent interview with Michael Bisping, 'Sugar' said this:

"You can't tell me that Max Holloway versus the Sugar Show at 145 [pounds], if Max goes out there and beats Ilia, isn't a massive fight. Me versus Ilia, if he goes out there and beats Max, that's a massive fight. I never want to have one option... I do like having options, I do like keeping it interesting."

He was then asked to predict the winner of the UFC 308 main event, to which he replied:

"I think Max gets the job done... Max goes out there and wins, 145 and BMF champ. I move up, I beat Max, I'm the BMF, 135 and 145 [pound champ]."

Watch O'Malley discuss fighting Ilia Topuria or Max Holloway below (8:38):

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Ilia Topuria makes bold prediction for Max Holloway clash

Ilia Topuria called his shot and took it against one of the greatest featherweights of all time, Alexander Volkanovski, when the pair clashed at UFC 298.

'El Matador' handed Volkanovski his first career defeat at 145 pounds, and following consecutive concussions after being KO'd by both Islam Makhachev and Topuria, 'The Great' has taken an extended break from fighting to recover.

This led former champion Max Holloway to be offered a crack at Topuria's title, and the pair will headline an incredible UFC 308 card in October. Ahead of the bout, the Spaniard has shared a confident prediction for fight night during an interview with MMA Junkie, saying this:

"I feel I'm way better than him everywhere, simple like that. It's gonna be a complete masterpiece, you will see. I will knock him out in the first round. There's no doubt about that. It's gonna be much easier than with Volkanovski because I consider that Volkanovski was like a way difficult matchup for me."

Catch Ilia Topuria's comments below (9:40):