Merab Dvalishvili lashes out after Sean O’Malley calls out featherweight champ Ilia Topuria at UFC 299
Merab Dvalishvili was none too pleased when Sean O’Malley called out Ilia Topuria at the conclusion of UFC 299.
O’Malley turned in a masterful performance in his first successful UFC Bantamweight Championship defense against Marlon “Chito” Vera. O’Malley was able to pick “Chito” apart from the outside. It was a brilliant showing despite Vera’s efforts to make it a dog fight. The “Sugar” show won the fight via unanimous decision. After the bout, he called for a champion vs. champion showdown against UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria in Spain.
“Dana! Gimme a jet to Spain, baby! I’m coming for Ilia Topuria!” O’Malley said (via MMAMania). “And if he doesn’t want it … nah, f*ck it, I want Ilia, baby, give me Ilia. He’s a scary f*cking dude, he excites me. Going up a weight class excites me. Honestly, I’m here for whatever. If you guys want me to knock out Merab, I’ll do that too, but Ilia is an exciting fight for the people.”
This did not make Merab happy.
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Merab Dvalishvili Chides Sean O’Malley For Wanting Ilia Topuria Fight Before Facing Him
Merab was in attendance for UFC 299 and he was quite animated when O’Malley downplayed a possible fight with him. The general consensus is that Merab is the rightful number one contender, and he went off on O’Malley from the crowd.
“What a piece of sh*t,” Dvalishvili said from the stands. “Now I’m so mad, I’m so pissed off. I’m so pissed he don’t call me out! C’mon bro, I’m number one contender — fight me bro! If you’re good then show the world. But you are a scared little skinny guy. You wanna call somebody who’s not gonna fight you.”
The good news for Merab is that UFC CEO Dana White told reporters during the UFC 299 post-fight press conference that he isn’t too keen on champions moving up and down weight classes early in their runs.
