Sean O'Malley Says Merab Dvalishvili Will Be His Next Opponent

It appears that Merab Dvalishvili will receive his long-awaited title shot.

Dvalishvili was expected to be Sean O’Malley’s opponent for his first title defense before “Suga” called out Marlon Vera after claiming the belt with a knockout of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. In the meantime, “The Machine” went on beat Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 last month to extend his winning streak to 10. While most thought the Cejudo victory would have cemented Dvalishvili’s title shot, O’Malley shifted focus to featherweight champ Ilia Topuria after successfully defending his bantamweight strap against “Chito” at UFC 299 earlier this month.

While Dvalishvili couldn’t figure why O’Malley wasn’t interested in fighting him, he had faith in the UFC giving him the much-awaited gold bid. And it appears the Georgian was correct, as O’Malley recently confirmed him as his next opponent — albeit without a date and location. Dismissing allegations of ducking Dvalishvili, O’Malley said that he just wasn’t excited about the matchup until now.

“Merab’s next. Merab is f—-ing next,” O’Malley said on the TimboSugarShow. “Your wish is granted. A lot of people said I’m ducking him. I just 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. He’s such a… I don’t know. Now, is it the right time. It’s like the ‘Chito’ rematch. The time will come when it’s the right time to fight certain people. Merab’s next and be careful what you wish for, buddy. Careful what you wish for.”