Merab Dvalishvili News
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 shouldn't be rematching Merab Dvalishvili straight away, says Ben Askren
Harry Kettle - April 8, 2025
Sean O’Malley shouldn’t have opted to rematch Merab Dvalishvili straight away, says former UFC star Ben Askren. As we now know, Sean O’Malley will challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 316. While Dvalishvili has already defended his belt against Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean hasn’t fought since he lost the strap to Merab at UFC 306. Some expected him to take on a fellow contender in his next outing, but that isn’t the direction he’s gone in.
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.
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.
Dana White announces two title fights for UFC 316, including Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2
Josh Evanoff - April 1, 2025
UFC 316 will be headlined by Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2, Dana White revealed earlier today. Earlier today, the UFC CEO took to social media to announce several new fights. Sadly, the Fight Night slated for Kansas City later this month has a new main event, following an injury to Jamahal Hill. As a result, ‘Sweet Dreams’ is out of his slated fight against Khalil Rountree Jr., and the bout has been replaced by Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates. However, that welterweight headliner wasn’t the only bout announced earlier today.
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.
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 names two potential contenders for next UFC bantamweight title fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 14, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili has two possible challengers in mind for his UFC Bantamweight Championship. Dvalishvili is riding high following his impressive performance against Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of UFC 311. The Georgian titleholder was able to thwart his opponent’s grappling efforts and managed to outwork him for a unanimous decision victory. It was the first successful title defense for Dvalishvili and now he is looking ahead.
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.
Merab Dvalishvili shares footage of graphic leg injury
Harry Kettle - January 21, 2025
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has shared graphic footage of his pre-UFC 311 leg injury. Last weekend, Merab Dvalishvili successfully retained the UFC bantamweight championship. He did so in an immensely entertaining fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, in a contest that many expected Nurmagomedov to win. In the end, though, Dvalishvili did more than enough to get himself over the finish line.
What's next for the stars of UFC 311?
Cole Shelton - January 20, 2025
The UFC was in Inglewood, California for a solid UFC 311 card on Saturday, as the event saw two titles on the line. In the main event, Islam Makhachev took on Renato Moicano on 24 hours’ notice as he looked to defend his lightweight title. The co-main event saw Merab Dvalishvili defending his bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Sean O'Malley's coach believes a healthy 'Suga' is Merab Dvalishvili's 'kryptonite': "We take him out"
Cole Shelton - January 20, 2025
Tim Welch the coach of Sean O’Malley believes his fighter is the kryptonite for Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili in September at the Sphere. Dvalishvili was able to impose his will with his cardio and wrestling to win the fight. However, O’Malley was injured in the fight which Welch believes played a big role.
Merab Dvalishvili explains how he tricked California Athletic Commission to fight at UFC 311
BJ Penn Staff - January 20, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili delivered one of the best performances of his career at UFC 311, defending the bantamweight title with an impressive decision victory over Umar Nurmagomedov. However, he nearly didn’t make it to the Octagon at all. In the wake of UFC 311, Dvalishvili opened up on an injury he suffered before the fight. He sustained a bad cut on his shin in training, and he might not have been cleared to compete at all had he not found a way to fool a representative from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).
UFC 311 Bonus Report: Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov earn FOTN honors
Chris Taylor - January 18, 2025
The Octagon returned to Inglewood for tonight’s UFC 311 pay-per-view event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses. The event was headlined by a lightweight title fight featuring Islam Makhachev taking on Renato Moicano. The bout proved to be a short night for reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. After being stung by a good combination in the early moments of the contest, Islam quickly secured a takedown and proceeded to lock in a fight-ending d’arce choke (see that here). With the win, Makhachev now holds the record for most title defenses at lightweight (4), surpassing BJ Penn and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Pros react after Merab Dvalishvili defeats Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311
Chris Taylor - January 18, 2025
Tonight’s UFC 311 pay-per-view event was co-headlined by a men’s bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA) had entered his first career title fight sporting a perfect professional record. The ‘Young Eagle’ had most previously competed this past August, where he scored a unanimous decision victory over perennial contender Cory Sandhagen.