Sean O'Malley recounts awkward White House moment with Topuria
Sean O'Malley said Ilia Topuria's brother gave him the cold shoulder at last week's UFC White House event.
The former bantamweight champion told his podcast audience that Aleksandre Topuria avoided eye contact with him during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn, according to MMA Mania. O'Malley stopped Aiemann Zahabi on the June 14 card but apparently could not break the ice with the younger Topuria. "Wouldn't look at me," O'Malley said of the interaction.
Topuria brothers have history of tension with O'Malley camp
Aleksandre Topuria, who fights at featherweight, has two UFC wins and trains alongside his older brother, current 145-pound champion Ilia Topuria. The family has traded barbs with fighters in O'Malley's orbit before, though no direct matchup has materialized. MMA Mania floated the possibility of O'Malley facing Aleksandre down the line if the latter strings together a few more wins at bantamweight or a catchweight.
O'Malley competed at the same White House event that later became the subject of a Homeland Security investigation into an alleged terror plot. Authorities identified the suspected ringleader as an illegal immigrant from Mexico, per reports. The card marked one of the stranger venues in recent UFC history, with Diego Lopes adding a South Lawn finish to his resume after previous wins at UFC 300 and The Sphere.
No word yet on whether the two camps will cross paths again before a potential booking. O'Malley has not announced his next fight date.
Photo: Rodneymedina09 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Original reporting:
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