Sean O'Malley Shoots Down Payton Talbott White House Fight Rumors
Sean O'Malley called Payton Talbott's claim that they were offered a White House fight 'absolute BS' on Instagram.
Sean O'Malley is not having it. The former UFC bantamweight champion shut down claims from Payton Talbott that O'Malley was offered a fight against him at the UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House in June, per LowKick MMA.
Talbott made the claim in a YouTube video, saying he was supposed to fight O'Malley at the historic event but the matchup fell through. According to Talbott, multiple potential opponents had injuries, stating "supposedly when I was supposed to fight them, they all had a broken foot."
O'Malley fired back on Instagram Stories with a blunt denial. "That is just absolutely bullshit," O'Malley said, dismissing the idea that the fight was ever in play. O'Malley did compete at UFC Freedom 250, beating Aiemann Zahabi by second-round TKO.
Talbott, meanwhile, was left off the White House card entirely. The rising bantamweight contender is coming off a unanimous decision win over Henry Cejudo in December 2025 and faces Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC 332 co-main event on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.
The back-and-forth adds another layer to what could eventually become a massive bantamweight matchup. O'Malley and Talbott represent two generations of the division's flashiest strikers, and a fight between them would generate serious buzz. Whether it was ever actually offered at the White House is now a matter of he-said, he-said.
For now, Talbott has bigger things to worry about. Figueiredo may be a significant underdog heading into UFC 332, but the former flyweight champion is one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport when he is on. The Talbott and O'Malley conversation can wait.
This is the kind of beef I live for. Not the fake press conference stuff, but two guys publicly calling each other liars about whether a fight was even offered. Talbott says he was supposed to fight O'Malley at the White House. O'Malley says that is complete garbage. Someone is lying, and I do not think we will ever know who.
Here is what I do know: the UFC would love to make O'Malley vs. Talbott at some point. Talbott is the guy they are clearly building as the next face of the bantamweight division, and O'Malley is still one of the biggest draws in the sport. That fight sells itself.
But Talbott needs to handle business first. Figueiredo is not just some stepping stone. That dude has knocked people dead at 125 and 135, and he was shoving Talbott at the weigh-ins. If Talbott is looking past Figgy to chase beef with O'Malley, that is exactly the kind of mistake that gets you humbled in front of the whole world. Handle what is in front of you first.
