"I think he don't like my nose" - Merab Dvalishvili expresses dismay over Sean O'Malley calling out Ilia Topuria after UFC 299 win
Merab Dvalishvili recently criticized UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley for calling out Ilia Topuria following his victory at UFC 299 on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
O'Malley successfully defended his bantamweight title against Marlon 'Chito' Vera at the pay-per-view event. The 28-year-old carried out a nearly flawless game plan, using precise striking and effective footwork to cause damage from the outside.
'Chito', one of the most resilient fighters on the roster, survived until the very end. However, aside from a couple of exchanges in the later rounds, the Ecuadorian struggled to keep up with the champion. O'Malley successfully avenged his only professional MMA loss by winning all five rounds on the judges' scorecards.
Following his win over Vera, O'Malley used the mic to call out newly crowned featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. When Joe Rogan asked O'Malley what he wanted to do next, he replied:
"Dana, get me a jet to Spain, baby. I'm coming for Ilia Topuria. And if he doesn't want it, nah, f**k it, I want Ilia, baby, give me Ilia. He's a scary f**king dude, he excites me, going up a weight class excites me. 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."
Check out Sean O'Malley calling out Ilia Topuria below (1:25):
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Dvalishvili expressed his displeasure with O'Malley calling out Topuria despite the fact that he is the No.1 contender:
''I think he just don't want to mention my name. I think he don't like my nose. It's just, hey I'm a number one contender. I have a 10-fight win streak and I'm the next and he should just fight me.''
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's full comments below (6:36):
Sean O'Malley addresses win over Marlon 'Chito' Vera
In a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, O'Malley discussed his fight against Vera. He said:
''I feel like I'm faster than everybody but I knew I was way faster than 'Chito'. So for me, I knew that fight was gonna play out like that. I just had to show up and perform at my best.''
Check out Sean O'Malley's full comments below (1:15):