Sean O'Malley wants to return next summer and hopes his opponent will be a still champion Merab Dvalishvili.
Back at UFC 306, O'Malley lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili in the highest-grossing event in MMA history at Sphere in Las Vegas. He insists he did enough to win three rounds out of five in a dull affair, but to the untrained eye he appeared to be dominated over the five.
He has since undergone surgery and is recovering, with plans for a rematch this summer. But that means Dvalishvili will have to beat undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 to set up such a fight.
Sean O'Malley wants Merab Dvalishvili to play again next summer
Sean O'Malley was recently in Japan to promote a RIZIN event and asked some questions and answers during his visit. He spoke about a range of topics, including a possible fight in the country, but also gave some tidbits about his return to the Octagon.
“Ideally, Merab beats Umar and I get the rematch,” he told media in Japan of his hopes for the UFC 311 co-main event. “But if it has to be Umar, then that's what I want: a title fight, hopefully in the middle of next year, so the winner of that will emerge very quickly.”
Merab Dvalishvili pushed for a rematch between the pair immediately after UFC 306, likely knowing how much extra money he would make as champion heading into such a highly profitable fight. But in the end, he was forced to face Nurmagomedov, the division's top competitor.
Merab Dvalishvili is planning three title fights in four months this year
Dvalishvili's strong interest in remaining active through the first half of 2025 works in O'Malley's favor. He does not consider Nurmaogmedov a serious candidate and believes O'Malley and Petr Yan pose a more serious threat.
He plans to beat the Russian and take on fights with one of his two rivals in March or April, giving him an intense few months of minimal time off. “I want to be busy in 2025,” he said on the official UFC YouTube channel.
“I'm fighting early, on January 18, and I want to be busy. I know O'Malley wants to come back in April, I think Petr will be ready in March. So maybe you fight Petr in March and rematch Sean in April. And whoever the next contender is, I will clean up the division again.
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