Merab Dvalishvili believes Sean O’Malley deserves a rematch for the bantamweight title before Umar Nurmagomedov, as he feels Nurmagomedov needs to prove himself further, leaving the decision to UFC officials.
Merab Dvalishvili thinks Sean O’Malley should get a rematch before Umar Nurmagomedov fights for UFC gold. Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title by beating O’Malley at UFC 306 in September. After that win, people thought Nurmagomedov would be next because he crushed Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi. But guess what? Rumors are flying about a possible fight between Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong. Insiders told MMA Fighting recently that nothing’s set in stone yet.
During Friday’s UFC 308 fan Q&A, someone asked Dvalishvili why he seems more interested in a rematch with O’Malley than facing Nurmagomedov. His response? Classic.
“Let’s boo to this guy,” Dvalishvili shot back. “I’m not scared of no one, only God.” Where’s Nurmagomedov anyway? He seems to be taking another fight. Scared much? Dvalishvili suggested that Nurmagomedov is avoiding him, opting to get knocked out by someone else instead. The decision on who he fights next isn’t up to him; it’s up to Dana White and Hunter Campbell.
So, who’s next for the new champ? Dvalishvili’s leaving it to the UFC bigwigs to decide. However, if it were his choice, he’d go for a rematch with O’Malley. Why? Because he believes O’Malley deserves it more than Nurmagomedov does right now.
“If Dana White tells me I have to fight Umar, I’m fighting Umar, OK?” said Dvalishvili. “But Umar doesn’t deserve to fight me yet. Sean O’Malley deserves it, and I’ll rematch him first.” Once O’Malley’s had his chance, then maybe Nurmagomedov can prove himself worthy of a title shot.