Sean O’Malley Refutes White House Claim Before Payton Talbott Accidentally Called Out Spiderman Actor at UFC 332

A credible report claimed Sean O’Malley turned down the White House fight against Payton Talbott. He says that’s a lie. Following the statement win over Deiveson Figueredo in the UFC 332 co-main event, Talbott called out O’Malley before accidentally naming Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield as his next opponent.

But reports suggesting he was supposed to face O’Malley at the White House card soon overshadowed the faux pas.

“What’s up, guys? I’m here to f**king address these rumors that I got offered Payton Talbott for the White House. That is just absolutely bullshit,” O’Malley fired back in a video message.

O’Malley’s frustration likely stems from the fact that, while he may have sought particular matchups, he has consistently indicated that the UFC controls his matchmaking. He reportedly wanted Petr Yan for the White House event but accepted Aiemann Zahabi, after Yan was unavailable. Previously, when he wanted to face Zahabi, he was apparently matched up against Song Yadong instead.

His comments came after reports revealed that Jon Anik, who, alongside Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier, was commenting at the UFC 332 card, had allegedly confirmed that O’Malley received an offer to fight Talbott at the White House.

The development now appears to give an impression that O’Malley was not interested in fighting Talbott, which likely explains why the claims miffed him so much.

After knocking out Figueiredo in the opening round of the co-main event, which took place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Talbott openly called out O’Malley. However, the excitement of the win seemingly left him confused.

June 28, 2025, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: Payton Talbott and Felipe Lima fight in a 3-round Bantamweight bout during the UFC 317 event at T-Mobile Arena on June 28, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. /Pximages Las Vegas USA – ZUMAp175 20250628_zsa_p175_109 Copyright: xAlejandroxSalazarx

“I just mopped the floor with two champions, back-to-back. And I want another one,” Talbott said. “Andrew Garfield—I mean, Sean O’Malley—you can’t run forever. Give the people what they want,” the Las Vegas native said during the post-fight interview with Rogan.

A few days ago, speaking on his YouTube channel, Talbott had made claims similar to those attributed to Anik. “I was supposed to fight Sean (O’Malley), then I was supposed to fight him, I was supposed to fight her, all kinds of names,” he teased. “Supposedly when I was supposed to fight them, they all had a broken foot.

“I was like, ‘Dude, what’s up with everybody’s feet right now?’ It must be something in the water. They were like, ‘Oh, so-and-so broke his foot. He really wants to fight you, but his foot is broken. This guy, he was going to fight you, but this morning he broke his foot. ‘ So, that was pretty much what I was getting.

“Then it was funny, because the same names that said their feet were broken are suddenly getting booked. … It could be UFC. It could be people scared. I wonder which?”

But those claims warrant a closer look.

Sean O’Malley vs. Payton Talbott: Within reach or out of range?

The final UFC Freedom 250 fight card proved remarkably stable once it was announced in March 2026. Unlike typical UFC events that can lose bouts due to late injuries or other reasons, all 14 fighters made it to the fight week, resulting in no major fight cancellation.

That could explain why Talbott, who is not ranked among the top-15 bantamweights, wants to boost his profile by bringing in a recognizable name like Sean O’Malley.

Talbott is not the only one to have made claims surrounding the White House card matchup. Expressing similar disappointment, Cory Sandhagen revealed his frustration after learning that O’Malley would face Zahabi at the White House South Lawn on June 14, 2026.

The cloaked competition between Talbott and O’Malley traces back to comparisons over their shared appearance, particularly their big hair, and, more importantly, a fighting style based on strikes and constant movements.

Talbot, however, objects to that comparison. Two years ago, speaking with Ariel Helwani after the win over Cameron Saaiman at UFC Vegas 89, he insisted that the comparisons to O’Malley overlook the stylistic differences between them. While he would pressure the former champion and try to turn the fight into a dogfight, O’Malley would rely on feints, reactions, and technical precision to control the action.

Since then, aside from his decision loss to Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311 on January 18, 2025, Talbott has maintained a winning streak, which explains why he feels confident enough to call out O’Malley openly.

His challenge to O’Malley, however, raises a bigger question: has he really moved closer to his dream fight?

After back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili, O’Malley gradually put his career back on track with successive wins over Song Yadong before he stopped Zahabi. As the bantamweight division’s No. 1 ranked contender, Dvalishvili is now lined for a trilogy fight against champion Petr Yan later this month.

In either Dvalishvili or Yan wins, chances are that the winner of the October 24 co-main event at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena will face O’Malley. Having had two fights this year, O’Malley would rather wait it out for his next shot at the title than risk facing a rising star like Talbott.

Given his ranking, Talbott understands that a matchup with O’Malley, or for that matter, any top-ranked contender, remains a distant prospect.

A better idea, as he mentioned in the post-fight press conference, would be to get busier with frequent bouts than wait 10 months between fights as he tries to climb the rankings and strengthen his case for bigger fights.

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