Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley defended his title for the first time at UFC 299 on March 9, defeating Marlon “Chito” Vera in a one-sided unanimous decision.
With the win, O’Malley avenged the only loss on his record. Vera defeated O’Malley in the first meeting at UFC 252 in August 2020. Following the March 9 win, O’Malley called out newly crowned featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria.
UFC CEO Dana White put the kibosh on any talk of O’Malley and Topuria fighting any time soon. Instead, O’Malley will face top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili in his next title defense.
“Merab is next. Merab is f**king next. Your wish is granted,” O’Malley said on the TimboSugarShow. ” A lot of people said I’m ducking him. I really am not ducking that little dude. I like the fight for me. There’s multiple ways to win. I’m excited about the fight now, finally. I was never ducking him. I was just never excited to fight him.”
“Now is the right time just like the ‘Chito’ rematch. The time will come to where it’s the right time to fight certain people. Merab is next, and be careful what you wish for buddy.”
Dvalishvili (17-4) is riding a 10-fight winning streak and is ranked No. 1 in the division. His last three wins have been over former UFC titleholders. In his last outing, Dvalishvili defeated former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in one-sided fashion. Before that, Dvalishvili won a lopsided decision over former champion Petr Yan after defeating former two-time featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/sean-omalley-merab-dvalishvili-is-next
