Noche UFC fight's "not that definitive end" should earn Sean O'Malley a title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili, says UFC bantamweight
Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley would be a great rematch with the UFC bantamweight belt on the line in the eyes of another 135-pound fighter in the promotion.
The Noche UFC 306 main event saw a thoroughly dominant performance from Merab Dvalishvili who unseated then-champion Sean O'Malley from his bantamweight throne.
In the wake of his title win last month, some are beginning to wonder who that first title defense will be against. This speculation does not just cover solely fans but is also a question on the minds of fellow UFC bantamweights.
Speaking on MMA Canada, Chad Anheliger discussed numerous topics including his upcoming fight and who could be Dvalishvili's opponent in his first title. Anheliger will do battle at UFC Edmonton with the Albertan combatant clashing with Cody Gibson on Nov. 2.
When breaking down who could get that first crack at Dvalishvili's belt, Anheliger said:
"It's always tough. It's exciting to see new challengers but there's a really good argument to be made that [Sean] O'Malley deserves a second shot at it. It was a fairly close fight. There was a lot of hype behind it for not that definitive end. I know Merab [Dvalishvili] won and you can call it fairly definitive but I still think that those guys have more to offer."
"I think that from a fight fan perspective, really watching the adjustments, the fight IQ changes in that fight would be very interesting. What does Sean do different? What does Merab do the same? I think there's a lot of cool storylines there but there's just a list of killers behind it."
Check out Chad Anheliger discussing Merab Dvalishvili's possible first-title defense below (17:08):
Other potential contenders for Merab Dvalishvili's UFC crown
Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley running it back would make a great deal of sense with the latter being the former champion and current No. 1 contender. That being said, the No. 2 contender in the UFC at 135 pounds has a strong case for a crack at the belt in his own right.
Umar Nurmagomedov is positioned in that spot underneath O'Malley and many within mixed martial arts want to see him contend for the belt at bantamweight. At a spotless 18-0, as a professional MMA fighter and on the heels of his biggest win yet over Cory Sandhagen in August, Nurmagomedov is undoubtedly in a prime position for a possible championship bid.
The 28-year-old Dagestan native also seems confident he will be getting that title crack if we're going off of his recent social media activity.