Sean O’Malley isn’t exactly running from Payton Talbott. In fact, ‘Suga’ sounds pretty open to the fight, but there’s one big problem: Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili could completely shake up the bantamweight picture before O’Malley gets anywhere near Talbott.

Talbott just put himself firmly in the conversation at UFC 332, absolutely wrecking former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo with a one-sided knockout. And he didn’t waste any time afterward, using his post-fight interview to call out O’Malley.

The 28-year-old has also been pushing a pretty wild claim: that the UFC previously tried to book him against Sean O’Malley at the White House.

However, ‘Suga’ wants absolutely nothing to do with that story. While addressing accusations that he was ducking Payton Talbott on his YouTube channel, O’Malley flat-out denied ever being offered the fight.

“We’ll address the ducking allegations first of all,” O’Malley said on The SuGuru Show. “I don’t like bringing family into this, but I swear on my family I did not get offered Payton Talbott at the White House. Here’s the thing: if he can also swear that he did, then there was miscommunication somewhere on the line.

“I feel like he made it up. I don’t think he ever got offered to me. I can’t imagine them offering someone a fight without asking ‘Suga,’ the A-side, they asked this guy. They would ask me. I never got offered Payton Talbott at the White House, so that’s that. He called me out, and that sounds good.”

For Sean O’Malley, everything could come down to what happens on October 24. That’s when Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili run it back for their bantamweight championship trilogy at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi. And depending on who walks out with the belt, ‘Suga’ already has a pretty clear idea of where he wants to go next.

The former champion has a split-decision win over Yan, while Dvalishvili has beaten him twice. And even though the former champion still insists he won their first meeting, another fight with ‘The Machine’ doesn’t look like it’s happening anytime soon.

So, if Petr Yan gets his hand raised, that could give Sean O’Malley a much cleaner path back to the title. If Yan loses, though, ‘Suga’ says he’s perfectly happy to settle things with Talbott.

“If Petr goes out there and loses, let’s squabble, me and Payton, let’s make it happen,” O’Malley continued. “If Petr goes out there and wins, I’m ducking [Talbott] for a tougher fight. I’m ducking him for Petr Yan.”

Sean O’Malley’s thinking here actually makes sense when you look at his history with both guys. Merab Dvalishvili has already beaten him twice, so a third fight isn’t exactly an easy sell right now. Yan, on the other hand, is a completely different story.

‘Suga’ edged him in a wild, back-and-forth fight that helped push him toward the title picture and eventually the championship. So if ‘No Mercy’ beats the Georgian, that could open the door for O’Malley to run it back with Yan, with a title shot potentially waiting on the other side.

Talbott, though, isn’t exactly backing down from the matchup.

“We’ll just have to fight to really find out,” Talbott said during the UFC 332 post-fight press conference. “I personally like when people are similar to my body frame. I do a lot better. It’s kind of awkward punching midgets. The downward angle just gets a little bit awkward.

“Stylistically, I feel like we match up very well. I think I have a little bit more power. I think I have more muscle on my frame, and I think I’m just as quick because of my age.”

And it’s not just Sean O’Malley and Payton Talbott who are interested in making this fight happen. Two former UFC champions have also thrown their support behind the matchup, adding even more fuel to the growing buzz around the showdown.

Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo want Sean O’Malley vs. Payton Talbott

Sean O’Malley and Payton Talbott aren’t the only ones pushing for this fight. Daniel Cormier believes Talbott deserves the chance to prove himself against one of the biggest names in the division.

The former UFC double champion also acknowledged that he doesn’t know exactly what happened behind the scenes with the rumored White House fight. But based on what Payton Talbott has said, he thinks the UFC should revisit the matchup.

“Payton Talbott will tell you that he accepted that fight,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I don’t have enough knowledge to say that Sean said no, but that is what Payton will have you believe by his answers. I think that we revisit that fight.”

‘DC’ pointed out that ‘Suga’ appeared to be in line for another big fight after his White House appearance, but with Merab Dvalishvili now booked to fight Petr Yan, his next move is less clear. And that’s where Talbott comes in.

“I think Sean should say, ‘OK, Payton Talbott, I recognize you because I was you. Let’s see if you’re ready to make it into the top of the division.’ I think it’ll be great for Talbott to get that opportunity.”

Basically, Daniel Cormier sees it as a perfect test: Sean O’Malley gets a dangerous up-and-comer, while the 28-year-old gets the chance to show whether he really belongs at the top of the division.

Cormier was even more impressed by just how quickly Talbott got the job done against Figueiredo. Considering Figueiredo is a former UFC flyweight champion with years of experience at the highest level, Talbott making him look that helpless definitely caught Cormier’s attention.

“Payton Talbott is a real problem for everybody in the UFC bantamweight division,” he added. “He is huge, he’s confident, he can knock you out.

“We saw him out-wrestle Henry Cejudo. He’s only 28 years old, and every time he comes to the Octagon, he’s better. That’s what you want to see.”

Speaking of Henry Cejudo, he took things a step further. ‘Triple C’ already knows what Payton Talbott brings to the table after sharing the Octagon with him. But after watching the 28-year-old steamroll Figueiredo, Cejudo wasn’t interested in waiting around.

The Olympian accused the UFC of protecting Sean O’Malley and demanded that the promotion finally make the fight.

“Nobody wants to fight Payton Talbott,” Cejudo wrote on X. “He’s been ignored for a year. You have to give him the best competition, and they need to stop protecting Sean O’Methly. Talbott vs O’Methly next sign the contract!!”

With Sean O’Malley basically putting the next move in Talbott’s hands, everything now comes down to Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili.

If Yan loses, the former champion has already made it clear that he’s open to settling things with the Nevada native. That could put the matchup together pretty quickly.

But if Yan gets the win, Sean O’Malley appears ready to chase the familiar rival instead. That would leave Payton Talbott waiting a little longer for his shot at one of the division’s biggest names.

Either way, October 24 could have a major say in what comes next for all three fighters.