Merab Dvalishvili clarifies not ducking Umar Nurmagomedov while explaining alleged desire to rematch Sean O'Malley
Despite Umar Nurmagomedov being the assumed next challenger for the UFC bantamweight title, Merab Dvalishvili sees a reason to rematch Sean O'Malley in his next fight. 'The Machine' still wants to fight Nurmagomedov in the future but has a more urgent desire to settle his score with O'Malley.
Dvalishvili explained in a tweet that he is "not ducking Umar" and is instead irked that O'Malley is publicly claiming that he won their fight at Noche UFC 306. The champion said he wants to "show" O'Malley that he will "beat him again and again" to prove that he is the better fighter.
Dvalishvili also claimed that O'Malley sent him a direct message asking for a rematch despite commenting on his previous tweet claiming that he would be out soon with an upcoming surgery. Here's what Dvalishvili posted on X:
"O'Malley DM'd me this past Tuesday - Push for the rematch. He is so sure he won the fight that I wanna show him I will beat him again and again. I was gonna give him a quick turnaround in NY. I'm not ducking Umar - after the rematch I will fight him or anyone else UFC puts in front of me."
After winning the title at Noche UFC 306, Dvalishvili was asked by Joe Rogan in his post-fight octagon interview for his thoughts about Umar Nurmagomedov. The Georgian completely brushed the question aside and has since said in further interviews that he believes Deiveson Figueiredo is a more deserving challenger.
Merab Dvalishvili's win over Sean O'Malley
Although, fans want to see Umar Nurmagomedov compete for the belt, many were put off by Merab Dvalishvili proposing a rematch with Sean O'Malley due to the non-competitive nature of their fight. 'The Machine' was thoroughly dominant in the Noche UFC 306 main event, winning at least three rounds on every official scorecard.
A dejected O'Malley did not contest the decision when it was read, instead simply clapping in agreement. However, days after the fight, he has claimed on social media that he believes he won three of the five rounds and should still be "undefeated."
The tweets seemingly worked in getting the attention of Dvalishvili but the general appetite for a rematch is not there. Dvalishvili will likely make his first title defense against Nurmagomedov with the timing dependent on contract negotiations.