Sean O’Malley fought and defeated Marlon Vera at UFC 299. Who will he fight next? According to the champion himself, he can now square off against Merab Dvalishvili. Both fighters compete at the same weight divisions and this fight makes sense for reasons more than one.
Not to mention, the bantamweight champion himself talked about the possibility of this fight taking place following his first title defense. What does he have to say? Let’s find out.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
What lies ahead of Sean O’Malley?
Every fighter in the bantamweight division eyes a fight against O’Malley as he has the belt. However, a lot depends on his preference as to who he wants to take on next. In the post-fight interview, he explicitly took the name of Merab Dvalishvili as a potential opponent.
It is worth noting that there is animosity between the two and they even crossed paths at the recent card in Miami, Florida. While recalling the incident, he said, “I didn’t he got hit in the head. I was like who the f*ck and then I realized it was Merab. Then, I realized that fight could very well happen next.”
Merab Dvalishvili is coming off a win too against Henry Cejudo and is deserving of a title fight, especially after the show he put on. Needless to say, it is an exciting match-up on paper and promises to be exciting if it takes place. But, O’Malley may have an unconventional approach to his next few fights.
O’Malley is not chasing title defenses
Usually, the champion of the weight division defends their title, however, there have been certain outliers. While taking inspiration from them, O’Malley reveals that he may consider moving up or down a division and is not too adamant about just defending his title at a particular weight division.
Reflecting on the same, he said, “The belt is cool. But once when you get to a certain point where you can main event and just the kind of fight, you know, look Conor [McGregor] was 45-pound champion fighting on Nate like I want to.”
Read more: Umar Nurmagomedov Rubs Salt on Marlon Vera’s Wounds as Sean O’Malley Shuts Down ‘Chito’ at UFC 299
Times are exciting for O’Malley, to say the least. Whatever lies ahead will interest the fans at large. However, in an ideal world, who would you like him to face next? Share with us your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
Written by
Edited by
Joyita Das