Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has an idea for Usman Nurmagomedov’s UFC debut whenever he signs with the promotion.
Despite being sentenced to six months in prison for his role in a gang attack against Merab Dvalishvili at an Abu Dhabi hotel earlier this week, the UFC is still expected to sign Nurmagomedov once he gets out of prison.
When that happens, O’Malley knows just the fight for him.
Sean O’Malley Suggests Usman Nurmagomedov Fights Ilia Topuria
Speaking on his YouTube channel, O’Malley suggested that Nurmagomedov fights former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria for his debut.
“Does this set up a fight between Ilia Topuria and Usman Nurmagomedov? That’s a crazy fight. That’s a crazy, hard fight for Ilia to bounce back from. It’s an insane fight for Usman to jump into the UFC pool. It is a fight that I want to see. I mean, Ilia vs. Paddy (Pimblett) is up there, Ilia vs. Usman is up there. These are huge, massive, insane numbered main events that don’t have any titles on the line. … I think Usman vs. Ilia makes sense. That’s the fight to make. That would be a crazy fight. Ilia’s big, but he’s not tall. He’s 5-6, Usman’s probably 6-1. it would be a tough fight for both guys. It would be an interesting fight. The storyline’s there,” O’Malley said (via MMAjunkie.com).
Will the UFC Book This Fight?
The idea of a Nurmagomedov vs. Topuria fight is certainly one that makes a lot of sense given that both men have a lot of bad blood against one another, especially in the wake of the attack on Dvalishvili, who is a close friend of Topuria’s.
That being said, it seems far more likely that Topuria will fight Paddy Pimblett next, as that’s the fight that has been teased for several months now, and one that makes more sense based on the UFC rankings.
But we all know the UFC is a business, so don’t be surprised if and when the UFC inks Nurmagomedov to a contract, that he gets a huge name in his debut with the promotion.
Sean O’Malley Has Idea for Usman Nurmagomedov’s UFC Debut