Sean O’Malley reacts to ‘Terrified’ Merab Dvalishvili’s title shot provide to Petr Yan after UFC Macau

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is perplexed by Merab Dvalishvili’s newest try and exclude Umar Nurmagomedov.

Petr Yan defeated Deiveson Figueiredo within the UFC Macau most important occasion on Saturday and afterward, referred to as for a rematch with Merab Dvalishvili. It didn’t take lengthy for Dvalishvili to reply Yan’s callout on his social media pages, pitching a possible March reserving for his or her rematch.

Yan, a former titleholder, would skip Umar Nurmagomedov for the following title shot if the Dvalishvili rematch involves fruition. Umar, the cousin of UFC Corridor of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, appeared destined for a title shot after defeating Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi earlier this 12 months.

However, Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov have traded barbs on social media for months, with Nurmagomedov accusing Dvalishvili of ducking a battle. Nurmagomedov expressed his displeasure for Dvalishvili nearly instantly after the present champion pitched the Yan rematch.

Sean O’Malley believes Dvalishvili’s dismissals of Nurmagomedov are calculated, particularly after welcoming the Yan rematch following UFC Macau.

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Sean O’Malley and coach Tim Welch react to Merab Dvalishvili’s newest antics

In a current episode of the TimboSugarShow podcast, O’Malley reacted to Dvalishvili’s newest dismissal of Nurmagomedov’s coveted title shot.

“Umar desires to battle Merab in January…Merab is totally s***ing himself frightened of Umar, he doesn’t need to battle Umar,” O’Malley mentioned. “Now he desires to battle Petr, he desires to battle me…Petr obtained 50-45’d to Merab!”

O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, appeared to echo an identical sentiment.

“Consider how thrilling and lit the division could be, if Merab wasn’t part of it?” Welch mentioned. “That’s no disrespect, the man is admittedly good at getting in these positions and getting by the battle. However man, it will be lit.”

O’Malley and Dvalishvili had a heated buildup to their UFC 306 conflict with Dvalishvili threatening to assault Welch forward of the occasion. Fortunately, cooler heads appeared to prevail after their battle, however there stays some stress.

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Merab Dvalishvili continues to downplay Umar Nurmagomedov’s accolades

Nurmagomedov is undefeated in his UFC tenure with current victories over Raoni Barcelos, Bekzat Almakhan, and Sandhagen. He’s amassed an 18-0 skilled file throughout his profession.

Earlier than defeating O’Malley at UFC 306, Dvalishvili earned current wins over former titleholders Henry Cejudo and José Aldo. In his first battle with Yan, Dvalishvili tried a UFC file 49 takedowns en path to a dominant unanimous choice victory.

O’Malley is eying a return to the Octagon within the first half of 2025, doubtlessly in an instantaneous rematch with Dvalishvili. Earlier than falling to Dvalishvili, O’Malley earned the belt by defeating Aljamain Sterling and defending it in opposition to Marlon Vera.

The UFC bantamweight division continues to fascinate, particularly with the continuing drama on the high of the heap. We’ll probably study quickly whether or not or not Dvalishvili will face Nurmagomedov, O’Malley, or Yan for his first title protection.

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