Merab Dvalishvili News
Merab Dvalishvili teases rival Sean O'Malley in champion's latest skit
Harry Kettle - May 22, 2025
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili teased rival Sean O’Malley in a recent skit ahead of UFC 316. At UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his UFC bantamweight championship against Sean O’Malley. It comes in the wake of their battle at Noche UFC, where Merab was able to wrestle the belt away from ‘Suga’. Ever since then, O’Malley hasn’t fought, whereas ‘The Machine’ has been able to successfully defend his title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Merab Dvalishvili's coach reveals they were close to pulling him from UFC 311 title fight
Harry Kettle - May 20, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili’s coach has revealed that they nearly pulled him from his UFC 311 title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov. At UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili will attempt to successfully defend his UFC bantamweight championship for the second time. He’ll do so by going up against Sean O’Malley, the same man that he defeated to win the belt in the first place. Since that initial title win, he’s kept himself busy by also locking horns with Umar Nurmagomedov, who he was able to defeat at the start of the year in a really competitive affair.
Jose Aldo hurls dig at current UFC champion for being 'afraid to fight'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 7, 2025
Jose Aldo was never known for being a trash talker, but he doesn’t shy away from throwing out a zinger or two. Aldo is already a UFC Hall of Famer, but he still competes inside the Octagon. While Aldo hasn’t tasted UFC gold in quite some time, he still believes in his ability to put on a show. While wins over Marlon “Chito” Vera, Pedro Munhoz, Rob Font, and Jonathan Martinez proved Aldo still has some juice left in the tank, losses against Merab Dvalishvili and Mario Bautista frustrated the UFC legend.
Cory Sandhagen gives Sean O'Malley some advice for Merab Dvalishvili rematch
Harry Kettle - May 3, 2025
Cory Sandhagen has given his thoughts on what Sean O’Malley can do to defeat Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch. In the main event of UFC 316, Sean O’Malley will challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC bantamweight championship. Dvalishvili was able to take the belt from ‘Suga’ last year in their first encounter, with many wondering whether or not the outcome would be different if they were to run it back. Well, next month, we’ll get the chance to find out.
Conor McGregor praises Merab Dvalishvili ahead of his UFC 316 return
Harry Kettle - April 22, 2025
UFC legend Conor McGregor has voiced his admiration for Merab Dvalishvili ahead of his return to action at UFC 316. Over the course of the last few years, Merab Dvalishvili has been impressing the masses in more ways than one. From his cardio to his grit and determination, he has earned the right to call himself the UFC bantamweight champion. Following on from wins over the likes of Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo, Merab finally claimed the gold by dethroning Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC last year.
UFC president Dana White defends Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley 2
Harry Kettle - April 16, 2025
UFC president Dana White has defended the promotion’s decision to book a rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley are set to run it back at UFC 316 on June 7. It will serve as an immediate rematch for O’Malley, who hasn’t competed since his initial loss to Merab. While it wasn’t all one-way traffic, the majority of people believe that the Georgian decisively won the contest. Since then, he’s also successfully defended the strap against Umar Nurmagomedov.
UFC 316: Merab Dvalishvili explains why he doesn't mind title rematch against Sean O’Malley
Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 9, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili has no problem mixing it up with Sean O’Malley again. Dvalishvili took the UFC Bantamweight Championship from O’Malley in the main event of UFC 306, which was held inside the Sphere in Las Vegas back in Sept. 2024. Dvalishvili went on to have a successful title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov, while O’Malley was recovering from surgery to fix a torn labrum in his left hip.
Merab Dvalishvili admits he finds UFC 316 opponent Sean O'Malley 'cute' and 'funny'
BJ Penn Staff - April 8, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley traded a ton of pre-fight trash talk before their first meeting in the UFC. Apparently, it wasn’t serious — at least, not from the former’s perspective. Dvalishvili and O’Malley first met at UFC 306 at the Las Vegas Sphere last September. Dvalishvili was challenging O’Malley for the bantamweight belt, and ultimately succeeded on his mission, dominating the five-round fight with his wrestling to a clear-cut unanimous decision win.
Sean O'Malley sends message to fans complaining about UFC 316 rematch with Merab Dvalishvili: "Don't watch!"
Josh Evanoff - April 7, 2025
Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has responded to critics of his upcoming fight against Merab Dvalishvili. ‘Sugar’ recently signed a deal to face ‘The Machine’ in the main event of UFC 316 in June. The bout will be a rematch of their prior meeting at The Sphere last September, which saw Merab Dvalishvili largely dominate the then-bantamweight champion. Post-fight, Sean O’Malley revealed a litany of injuries that hampered his performance, and called for a rematch. Earlier this month, Dana White granted his wish for a second crack at Dvalishvili.
Sean O’Malley makes surprising admission about ‘borderline embarrassing’ UFC title loss
BJ Penn Staff - April 7, 2025
Sean O’Malley is one of the most popular fighters in the UFC right now, but his reign as the promotion’s bantamweight champ didn’t last long. O’Malley won the bantamweight belt with a knockout of Aljamain Sterling in 2023. After defending his belt with a lopsided decision win over Marlon “Chito” Vera early last year, he then lost the belt last September, suffering a decision loss to Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili.
Renowned UFC coach claims Merab Dvalishvili swayed judges with showboating in Umar Nurmagomedov fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 6, 2025
Renowned head coach Javier Mendez believes he knows how Merab Dvalishvili swayed the judges at UFC 311. Dvalishvili made his first defense of the UFC Bantamweight Championship against Umar Nurmagomedov on Jan. 18. Dvalishvili’s cardio proved to be a major factor in the fight, and he was able to keep the challenger’s grappling at bay. “The Machine” won the fight via unanimous decision, handing Nurmagomedov his first pro MMA loss.
Sean O’Malley reacts to UFC 316 title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili
Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 2, 2025
Sean O’Malley has shared his first words publicly since the announcement of his UFC 316 title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili. UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 will be held inside the Prudential Center in Newark on June 7. The “Sugar” show lost the UFC Bantamweight Championship to “The Machine” back in Sept. 2024. O’Malley didn’t have an answer for his opponent’s relentless pressure.
UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili ranks his last five opponents from hardest to easiest
BJ Penn Staff - March 19, 2025
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is on one of the best runs in MMA right now, with wins over a host of former champions and undefeated contenders behind him. In a recent conversation with X user @judobetter995, he ranked his five most recent opponents in terms of difficulty.
Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili in random jacuzzi crossover
Harry Kettle - March 8, 2025
It turns out that UFC stars Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili aren’t the bigger enemies that we once thought them to be. Last year, Sean O’Malley defended his UFC bantamweight championship against Merab Dvalishvili. While it wasn’t a complete one-sided domination, it was clear to see that the Georgian sensation had done more than enough to get himself over the finish line.
UFC boss Dana White teases the fight "people want to see" at bantamweight
BJ Penn Staff - February 23, 2025
It’s not yet clear who UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his title against next. However, company president Dana White dropped a big clue following Saturday’s Fight Night card in Seattle. He claimed that Dvalishvili wants to run it back with the man we won the title from last year, Sean O’Malley, and that the feeling is mutual. He also called the rematch a fight “people want to see” at 135 pounds.
Henry Cejudo gives his thoughts on Merab Dvalishvili's next opponent
Harry Kettle - February 17, 2025
UFC legend Henry Cejudo has given his thoughts on who Merab Dvalishvili’s next opponent as champion should be. Merab Dvalishvili is one of the most successful fighters in the UFC today. In addition to his incredible win streak, he’s also now successfully defended the UFC bantamweight championship. With wins over Sean O’Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov, he’s firmly established himself as the best fighter at 135 pounds right now.
Merab Dvalishvili opens up on training with fellow UFC champion Weili Zhang: “She’s very strong like a man brother”
Harry Kettle - February 11, 2025
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has given his thoughts on training with fellow champion Weili Zhang. Last weekend, Weili Zhang made a real statement. She was able to dominate and defeat Tatiana Suarez, successfully retaining her UFC strawweight championship in the process. Now, we’re at a point whereby Weili is widely considered to be one of the best fighters not just in women’s MMA, but in mixed martial arts as a whole.
Coach Ray Longo explains how UFC 'created a monster' in Merab Dvalishvili
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 23, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili has been on a tear, and Ray Longo believes the UFC played a significant role. Dvalishvili is the reigning UFC bantamweight champion. He’s fresh off his first successful title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of UFC 311. The 135-pound titleholder displayed his elite conditioning and grappling to outlast the challenger after five rounds of action.