‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley is scheduled to fight Merab Dvalishili on September 14th to defend his title as the bantamweight champion. The fight is expected to be a highly viewed event as Suga has a 6 consecutive win streak along with his 18-1 record. Coming for the belt is Merab Dvalishvili, the number 1 ranked contender in the weight class with a 17-4 record. “Dvalishvili is a monster in the clinch, using superlative physical strength and technique to keep opponents there for as long as he wishes” and has “the best blast double-legs in all of MMA” according to a scouting report. 

‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley is known for his cocky attitude and elite striking. “Merab is f—- next” Sean states. Before Sean’s fight against Marlon Vera in March 2024, Sean fought Aljamain Sterling in August of 2023 and won by knockout, giving Suga the bantamweight title belt. Sean has one title defense with a win against Marlon Vera after losing to Vera in August 2020. Will Merab Dvalishvili make it two defenses?

Sean called out Merab by claiming there are ‘multiple ways’ to knock Merab out. “I just really am not ducking that little dude. I like the fight for me. There are multiple ways to win. I’m excited about the fight now finally”. Merab fires back at Sean’s head coach claiming “He is not a real man” and telling Sean “Be careful what you wish for”.  Dvalishvili may be looking for a knockout rather than a submission as he states “Don’t be surprised, I may knock him out because he is very confident and I have some skills.”

Tim Walch, Sean O’Malley’s head coach, admitted that Dvalishvili’s wrestling and cardio are scary good. “His cardio is freakishly [good]. It’s so scary. His five-round cardio is so scary, Merab Dvalishvili is a scary opponent”. Walsh also admits “There’s ways for us to lose” implying it may be a close one. “But there’s also a way to win,” Tim also claims. 

If you’re interested in seeing who will be the bantamweight champion of early 2025 you can watch the fight live on Stream UFC.