Islam Makhachev reacts to clip of Sean O'Malley sitting beside 'punching bag' Marlon Vera
Islam Makhachev has just popped up in the comment section of an Instagram skit. Specifically, the skit was a clip poking fun at the Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera fight and was filmed by 'Sugar' himself, who represented 'Chito' with a literal punching bag.
The clip consists of O'Malley sitting next to the punching bag, pretending it was Vera while asking it some questions ranging from the extent of his foe's durability to the nature of their recent fight.
Not only did O'Malley ask the punching bag how 'Chito' had survived the five-round beating he endured at UFC 299, but he also reiterated that his first loss to Vera was merely a fluke. This all drew the attention of Makhachev, who reacted with an 'okay' hand emoji.
The relationship between Makhachev and O'Malley has been difficult at times. While neither man has ever formally met, 'Sugar' once claimed that Leon Edwards would beat the UFC lightweight champion in the event of a champion vs. champion fight between the latter and the welterweight titleholder.
In response, the lightweight kingpin predicted that fellow Dagestani, Umar Nurmagomedov, would beat 'Sugar.' At present, a fight with Nurmagomedov is quite a ways away for O'Malley, given the massive disparity in their respective rankings.
O'Malley is the reigning bantamweight champion, while Nurmagomedov is currently ranked #10. Given that Nurmagomedov and Makhachev are both friends and training partners at the American Kickboxing Academy, he would certainly help prepare the former for a future bout with 'Sugar.'
Islam Makhachev and Sean O'Malley are linked by another fighter
Islam Makhachev is the reigning UFC lightweight champion and someone that newly minted featherweight kingpin, Ilia Topuria, has called out for a future champion vs. champion bout. This links the Dagestani to Sean O'Malley, the bantamweight champion, as he has expressed an interest in facing Topuria.
Meanwhile, the lightweight kingpin has shown a desire to take on welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Thus, all three represent a growing problem in the promotion, with champions dismissing the prospect of defending their titles in favor of pursuing two-division championship status after just becoming champions.
O'Malley wants to fight Topuria, who wants to fight Makhachev, who wants to fight Edwards. However, Makhachev is the most willing of the three to defend his titles and hasn't made a strong push for a title fight against Edwards.