Sean O'Malley's coach explains how Max Holloway could beat "flat footed" Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 

Sean O'Malley's coach recently gave his theory about how Max Holloway could defeat Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. Additionally, he claimed that O'Malley would rather face Topuria if the reigning bantamweight champion were to move up to the featherweight division.

Following a series of social media barbs, Topuria is now set to defend his featherweight title against Holloway at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

In a recent episode of his Red Hawk Recap podcast, O'Malley's coach Tim Welch talked about Topuria's clash with Holloway. Welch commended the Spaniard's boxing skills but asserted that the BMF champion's tall stature could pose a problem for the 145-pound king:

''I watched Topuria vs. Bryce Mitchell again, and he’s so f***ing good. His shoulders are so high, he’s so good at coming close. If you throw a punch, and you’re not bringing it back to your face, he’s so good at counter punching. I mean, he’s pretty flat footed, and he’s pretty stationary, and he is not the tallest guy. I would be zero percent surprised if Max Holloway came out, found his range, got started first, made Topuria miss a lot, and Max got it done.”

When asked whom O'Malley would rather face between Topuria and Holloway, Welch responded:

''Topuria after seeing that. I just think it’s a – people are like, ‘You f***ing idiot.’ I’m like, ‘It’s a winnable fight.' I just truly do believe it is.''

Check out Tim Welch's comments below (27:19):

As for O'Malley, he is set to defend his bantamweight title against No.1 contender Merab Dvalishvili at Noche UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at the Las Vegas Sphere.

O'Malley has alluded to potentially taking on the victor of Topuria vs. Holloway. In an interview with Michael Bisping last month, 'Suga' was questioned about his prediction for the featherweight title fight at UFC 308. He responded by backing Holloway to win.

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Sean O'Malley's coach dismisses Umar Nurmagomedov as next opponent following potential win at Noche UFC 306

Many believe that undefeated prospect Umar Nurmagomedov is next in line to challenge for the bantamweight title following his unanimous decision win against Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi last month.

However, Tim Welch thinks otherwise. In a recent interview with Bodog Canada, Welch claimed that Sean O'Malley plans to move up and compete for the featherweight title with a potential win at Noche UFC 306:

''I definitely see Umar as a serious problem...I think we will see how it goes. If Max knocks out Ilia, or Ilia knocks out Max cold, and then ‘Suga’ faceplants Merab and drops a Hendo-bomb on him at the end. It is just spectacular knockouts, I don’t think Dana and those guys would be opposed to a super fight.''

Check out Tim Welch's comments below (10:45):