Will Merab Dvalishvili kiss Sean O'Malley at UFC 316? 'The Machine' answers

Merab Dvalishvili is currently set to face Sean O'Malley in the headlining event of UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, New Jersey. Ahead of the fight, Dvalishvili addressed the topic of possibly kissing O'Malley again.

At UFC 306 last year, 'The Machine' defeated O'Malley to become the bantamweight champion. During that match, Dvalishvili lightheartedly poked fun at the Montana native by kissing him on the back.

In a recent interview with The Schmo, the Georgian fighter was asked if he would kiss O'Malley again at UFC 316. In response, Dvalishvili said:

"No, I'm not planning kissing this fight. I'm planning to finish [O'Malley] and if kiss will come... I don't know... I never plan like this stuff, bro. It's just natural and depends how I'm gonna feel, but I already kiss him. Now, it's time to smash him."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (5:33):

Sean O'Malley shares honest preview of Merab Dvalishvili rematch

In their previous encounter, Sean O'Malley fought Merab Dvalishvili while dealing with a hip injury, which limited his ability to refine his grappling skills before the fight. Immediately after UFC 306, O'Malley underwent surgery to address the injury and is now fully fit for the rematch.

In a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, 'Suga' was asked how he would defeat Dvalishvili. In response, O'Malley wittily said:

"I gotta win the first three rounds, and I gotta win the last two rounds. I gotta break 'The Machine' and I gotta beat him, win the positions, and I know I could beat Merab. He is open to be getting knocked out. I am very confident that I can put his lights out. I am also confident that I can beat him in a five-round fight."

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (via @Home_of_Fight on X):

Dvalishvili is currently on a 12-fight winning streak in the UFC. In his most recent match at UFC 311, the Georgian fighter defended his bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov, winning by unanimous decision.