Sean O’Malley Calls Merab Dvalishvili His Only Unfinished Business in UFC

Sean O'Malley wants a trilogy fight with Merab Dvalishvili by any means necessary, even if he has to fight public opinion to get it. This unexpected campaign follows a dramatic weekend at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, where bantamweight champ Petr Yan retained his title against Dvalishvili via a tight 48-47 unanimous decision.

With Dvalishvili pushed out of the immediate title picture, O'Malley sits at a crossroads alongside Song Yadong as the top candidates for the next title shot.

"Suga" should be focusing on winning back his UFC title. But his obsession with tracking down unfinished business against a rival who has already beaten him twice is quite surprising. 

Sean O'Malley Pushes for Merab Dvalishvili Rematch 

O'Malley lost his title to Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 306 in September 2024. He failed to win it back nine months later when Dvalishvili choked him out at UFC 316 in June 2025. Those consecutive losses to Merab Dvalishvili seem to haunt O'Malley daily. 

Speaking directly with Bradley Martyn on his podcast this week, O'Malley admitted that his push for a third fight is entirely personal, ignoring any strategic route back to the title. 

He said, “I need to get that one back, but it’s like no one wants to f*cking see that right now. I do. He’s the only person I ever lost to. It’s the only loss I have on my record. I would love to get that back.”

Marlon Vera also beat O'Malley at UFC 252, but O'Malley avenged that loss with a unanimous decision win at UFC 299. Dvalishvili remains the only fighter to beat him twice, prompting O'Malley to hunt for a revenge match. 

However, both of those fights highlighted the same issue. Dvalishvili's heavy pressure and wrestling completely neutralize O'Malley's range and counter-striking. Fans opposed the second fight for this reason, but “The Machine” backed O'Malley’s demand at the time, stating, "Even though a lot of people criticize O'Malley getting the rematch, I think he deserves it. I want to find out, too. He made lots of excuses after the fight."

People prefer a more exciting option in Yan, whom O'Malley originally defeated by a split decision at UFC 280. In fact, O'Malley explicitly called out Yan for a rematch after defeating Song Yadong at UFC 324. 

Following the events of UFC 333, O'Malley firmly rejected Daniel Cormier's idea of making Song the next challenger, claiming that he had already beaten the Chinese fighter. 

O'Malley is campaigning for a title shot against Yan, but he still wants at least one victory over Merab. The UFC has not announced Yan's next opponent, leaving both options open.