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Sean O'Malley lost his UFC bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili and issued a short comment following the fight. Heading into The Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday night, O'Malley was keen to successfully defend his title for the second time in the 135-pound division.
Unfortunately for him, his plans were prevented by Dvalishvili's relentless pressure and takedown attempts. Although O'Malley managed to land a powerful body shot that shook Dvalishvili in the later rounds, it wasn’t enough to turn the fight around.
Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title with a unanimous decision, stripping O'Malley of the belt. After the match, O'Malley took to X (formerly Twitter) to briefly address his performance, stressing his shortfall and apologizing to his fans. His message read: "Over promised under delivered. Sorry. Love you guys."
In the aftermath, Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov have started to trade barbs, hinting at a potential title fight in the bantamweight division. For O'Malley, this loss is a crucial moment for introspection after losing his title.
This is only the second defeat in O'Malley's MMA career and his first loss by judges' decision. He will need to reassess and develop a strategy to handle Dvalishvili’s intense pace. If an immediate rematch with the new champion isn't in the cards, the UFC may look into other possible matchups for him.
One potential option is a rematch with Petr Yan. Yan has previously criticized O'Malley’s victory in their October 2022 bout, claiming that O'Malley was unfairly awarded a split decision. It will be interesting to see how UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mike Maynard plan O'Malley’s next steps.
Dvalishvili reacted
In a post-fight media interview, Merab Dvalishvili reflected on his impressive victory, despite many believing that Sean O'Malley would have an easy time and quickly resolve the fight. Dvalishvili highlighted an interesting moment early in the match when he backed away from his opponent, pointing out the commotion from O'Malley's corner and the noisy interference directed at referee Herb Dean. This move surprised many spectators.
It appears that Tim Welch, O'Malley’s coach, played a huge role in the bout, as he attempted to distract the Georgian fighter at various points. Dvalishvili stressed that Welch directed numerous comments towards him during the fight, but expressed frustration that neither the referee nor anyone else addressed the coach’s actions. Ultimately, Dvalishvili felt that the best way to respond to such interference was by securing a win, and he succeeded in doing just that.
“I was in there and I’m fighting, I’m a professional fighter so I am focused [on the fight], and that never happened to me [before], I never pay attention to other corner, but Tim’s voice was very familiar because he was doing the same thing to Aljo.
There’s a video clip on social media, everybody already saw that, but he was doing the same thing. Like he was doing [this in a] very disrespectful way – ‘Merab you got to go’, he was talking **** to me and I tell him stop it, and nobody was telling him to stop, he just kept doing this.”- he said, as quoted by bloodyelbow.
Dvalishvili pointed out that if a similar incident had occurred in sports like basketball or soccer, it would likely lead to a disqualification. However, he observed that such actions didn’t have the same consequences in MMA. He also mentioned that he quickly apologized to the referee, Herb Dean, for the incident. Despite his apology, Dvalishvili stressed that he continued to hear some disturbances afterward, but he wasn't concerned about it.
Many people noticed the moment when the 32-year-old Georgian seemed to give Sean O'Malley a playful kiss on the back during the fight. Dvalishvili explained that he had secured O'Malley in a chokehold with just 10 seconds remaining. Knowing that O'Malley was unlikely to be finished or submit at that point, Dvalishvili decided to have a bit of fun. He clarified that he did not dislike O'Malley; rather, the kiss was a way to show his dominance and control over the fight, making it clear that he was in charge.
The Georgian fighter admitted that the bout was both interesting and enjoyable, and at times, he lost track of the clock. He enjoyed the night, knowing he had to leverage all his potential and strength to defeat an opponent who had been unbeaten for a long time. Following this victory, the Georgian has continued his impressive streak, and many are left wondering where his journey might end. It appears that there is no limit to this exceptional fighter's ambition, as he remains highly motivated to achieve great things.
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