Sean O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, has indicated that Merab Dvalishvili is likely to be O’Malley’s next opponent in the UFC bantamweight title fight.
Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili. That’s the UFC bantamweight title fight everyone’s talking about.
At least, that’s what Tim Welch, O’Malley’s coach, is saying.
“I reckon there’s a high chance he’s next,” Welch spilled on The MMA Hour. “Who else? Cory Sandhagen? Maybe. But Ilia Topuria? Nah, too soon. UFC’s call, but I’d bet on Merab.
“Fair’s fair. We’ve got to face him. Ten-fight win streak, he’s earned it. No need to keep him waiting. Yeah, it’s only fair.”
O’Malley, 29, defended his UFC bantamweight title successfully at UFC 299. He dominated Marlon Vera in a five-round showdown.
Dvalishvili, 33, tied the record for the longest win streak in UFC bantamweight history. He schooled Henry Cejudo for his 10th straight win at UFC 298. His victory list includes Petr Yan, Jose Aldo, and Marlon Moraes.
After his win over Vera, O’Malley initially called out Ilia Topuria, the UFC featherweight champ. But then, post-UFC 299, he switched gears. He posted on social media, “I want Dvalishvili next.” He also wrote, “2025 will be legendary” — a comment that ruffled Dvalishvili and some fans. They thought O’Malley planned to take the rest of 2024 off.
On The MMA Hour, Welch cleared up the 2025 confusion. It was just a joke to rile up Dvalishvili. O’Malley plans to return between September and November this year. Welch admitted he’s more nervous about Dvalishvili than he was for Vera.
“Merab’s a beast,” Welch confessed. “A 10-fight win streak gives you a certain swagger, which is intimidating. His cardio is insane. It’s terrifying. But he’s never faced anyone like Sean. It’s going to be a big cage, and I’m pumped. We can win. We can also lose. If we don’t show up — Sean always does, but Merab is a problem. A real problem. But we can win.”
That said, Welch doesn’t think Dvalishvili is the toughest challenge in the UFC bantamweight division. That honor goes to Aljamain Sterling, the guy O’Malley knocked out to snatch the belt.
“Aljo was the biggest threat,” Welch said. “He’s a big guy, long, expert back-taker. He’s not the type to get on top and beat you down. He’ll pass your guard, force you to stand up — then he’s on your back for the rest of the round. Super strong, physical. Aljo was the most dangerous for us.
“Aljo’s funkiness and length, what he’s good at, that was the real challenge. But Merab’s a problem. A huge problem. Scary. But it’s perfect. It’ll get Sean pumped for the fight, the challenge, and to shut everyone up again.”