Merab Dvalishvili welcomes rematch with Sean O’Malley after UFC 311: ‘I will fight him again’
Off the back of his impressive UFC 311 win, Merab Dvalishvili has confirmed he is open to all comers to his bantamweight crown — including former-foe, Sean O’Malley — claiming if he’s approached with a rematch clash, he would accept it.
Co-headlining last weekend’s pay-per-view return to California, Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight crown for the first time in a grudge fight with the unbeaten, Umar Nurmagomedov.
And turning in a one-sided unanimous decision win over Nurmagomedov to snap his perfect eighteen-fight undefeated run, Dvalishvili set an incredible pace on the Russian challenger from the third round onwards, riding out an impressive unanimous decision success to retain his championship.
Merab Dvalishvili welcomes title rematch with Sean O’Malley next
Linked with an immediate title re-run with Nurmagomedov off the back of his win — including a potential super fight with current undisputed flyweight kingpin, Alexandre Pantoja, Dvalishvili claimed if approached to fight Montana striker, O’Malley again — whom sat front row at the Intuit Dome, he would welcome it.
Yeah, I have no idea [who I will fight next],” Merab Dvalishvili told Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned. “But it looks like, I guess, (0:16) yes, it looks like (0:18) maybe he is my next opponent, but who knows? (0:22) I want to fight for the best option, (0:25) whoever is the best next, and I just want to be busy.”
“Yes, sir. I will fight Sean again if UFC asks me to do it,” Merab Dvalishvili explained.
First fighting back in September at the Las Vegas Sphere in the main event of Noche UFC, Dvalishvili handed O’Malley just his second-ever professional mixed martial arts loss — landing a one-sided unanimous decision win over the Contender Series alum to snatch the undisputed bantamweight crown.
