Sean O’Malley is the bantamweight champion of the UFC after defeating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. After the victory, O’Malley called out Marlon “Chito” Vera for his first title defense. This callout has rubbed a lot of contenders in the division.

Aljamain Sterling wants a rematch, Merab Dvalishvili wants his first title shot, and so does Cory Sandhagen. Moreover, even Henry Cejudo who is coming off a loss against Sterling wants a title shot. Dvalishvili is the most deserving among the aforementioned fighters.

Merab Dvalishvili claps back at Sean O’Malley

Sean O’Malley in his recent interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour claimed that he basically knocked out two people when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. O’Malley was referencing Merab Dvalishvili being a similar fighter to Sterling and the result would have been the same if it was Dvalishvili in front of O’Malley instead of Cejudo.

Sean O'Malley feels he knocked out Aljamain Sterling AND Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 292 😳 #TheMMAHour

"They’re the same, they hold hands, they’re the same person. I knocked them both out August 19.”

▶️ https://t.co/u6B4Mii0wN pic.twitter.com/ckweo4mD74

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) September 6, 2023

Merab Dvalishvili has clapped back at O’Malley for the comments he made on MMA Hour. Dvalishvili posted on X, formerly Twitter, to showcase his dissent on the matter. He further called for a title shot claiming that he was ready for the champion. “The Machine” is on a 9-fight win streak and has the longest active win streak in the bantamweight division since Sterling lost to O’Malley. Sterling and Dvalishvili are friends and training partners and have no intention of fighting each other, even for the title.

This all makes no sense Champ … say what you want to say .. I am next in line. I'm ready … are you ?

— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) September 6, 2023

The Georgian fighter in his most recent bout, outclassed a very tough Petr “No Mercy” Yan for five rounds. O’Malley earned a hard-fought split decision over Yan when they clashed. Along with Sterling, nobody has beaten Petr Yan in the UFC. “No Mercy” is a former champion of the UFC. The Siberian fighter is currently on a three-fight losing streak and has only won once in his past 5 visits to the octagon.

Sean O’Malley claims he KOed both Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292

The incident that sparked outrage from Merab Dvalishvili was the words that Sean O’Malley echoed during his most recent appearance at the MMA Hour. O’Malley was adamant that he knocked out two for the price of one citing the similarities in striking deficiency between Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili.

He further clarified that his intention was to fight Marlon Vera as his first defense even before he won the title. O’Malley won the title in front of a pro-Irish crowd at the TD Garden in Boston. UFC 292 elevated the superstardom of Sean O’Malley who was already a star even before becoming the champion. Labeled as the next Conor McGregor by Teddy Atlas, O’Malley already has a good rapport with the UFC.

With O’Malley dead set on fighting Marlon Vera, the safest way for the Gerogian to guarantee a title shot is by fighting Henry Cejudo in a number one contender match. A victory over a credentialed veteran like Cejudo would make the promotion incapable of giving the title shot to somebody else. 

Who do you think Sean O’Malley fights next in the bantamweight division? Comment below!