Merab Dvalishvili has Sean O’Malley’s number after two victories over the American, but ‘Suga’ still isn’t convinced.
The Georgian Dvalishvili submitted O’Malley in the third round of their UFC 316 bout, a rematch of their first encounter, where ‘The Machine’ won by unanimous decision.
Merab prepares to continue his activity in 2025 with a defence of his bantamweight belt scheduled as the co-main event to the Magomed Ankalaev vs Alex Pereira light heavyweight repeat.
If he beats Sandhagen, it will be his third win against a top-five contender in the weight class in a single year.
Sean O’Malley remains ‘delusional’ after second loss to Merab Dvalishvili, believes he can beat him
Since Sean’s second loss in June, the bantamweight has taken time out to reflect on the defeat, which saw him lose out on regaining his UFC title.
Although he still thinks he can beat the 34-year-old, speaking to Mike Perry, he said: “I feel like I still have that confidence that I am able to put anyone’s lights out, I still truly believe I can beat Merab, there will be a trilogy somewhere down the line.”
“I still got that delusion in me, I love it, that’s what got me here. It’s so weird watching Merab on film, he just looks so sloppy, and he just does a really good job hiding his takedowns.”
It was the success on the mat by his opponent that ultimately led to the finish, with him completing five of his 12 takedown attempts, with one leading to the submission of the Montana MMA star.
But he is still confident about one thing when it comes to his rival.
“I know I can put that dude’s lights out, so I am still there a little bit, I’m a little bit more humbled, but I am still delusional,” O’Malley said.
Sean O’Malley’s seven-word response to UFC star’s KO after he called him out years prior
Known for his lively press conferences and post-fight words, the ‘Suga Show’ has called out a fair few fighters in his time.
One he regrets is the current top pound-for-pound star in the company, Ilia Topuria, after he knocked out Charles Oliveira in the opening round.
During a live reaction video, he said: “Thank God he didn’t accept my callout.”
The former featherweight champion made his lightweight debut with a huge knockout of Jai Herbet and would go on to become the division’s champion against Oliveira in his last contest.