"Sugar" Sean O'Malley talks Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili trilogy at UFC 333, potential rematch

Sean O'Malley has addressed the upcoming UFC bantamweight championship matchup between his longtime rivals, reigning champion Petr Yan and former titleholder Merab Dvalishvili. 

O'Malley, who is himself a former UFC bantamweight champion, outlined his plans that include waiting until the dust settles after the Yan-Dvalishvili title showdown. 

"Sugar" Sean O'Malley hints he's sidelined till the Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili fight at UFC 333; eyes possible rematch with "No Mercy"

Sean O'Malley's reign as the UFC bantamweight ruler ended after one successful title defense, as the Georgian-American Merab Dvalishvili outpointed him to win the belt in 2024. The Montana-born Arizona-based combatant was then submitted by Dvalishvili in their rematch last year. 

Moreover, Dvalishvili boasts a non-title bout unanimous decision victory against Russia's Petr Yan from 2023. However, he dropped the bantamweight title in a unanimous decision defeat against Yan last December. Currently, Yan is booked to defend the bantamweight belt in a trilogy clash against Dvalishvili, which would co-headline UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on October 24. 

In an edition of The SuGuru Show featuring "Sugar" Sean O'Malley and internet personality MMA Guru, the UFC star spoke about the imminent Yan vs. Dvalishvili fight. 

Incidentally, O'Malley defeated Yan in a closely contested matchup back in 2022, bagging a split decision win. On that note, many believe that a Yan victory would benefit him, as he holds a win over "No Mercy."

On the contrary, the consensus is that a Dvalishvili victory at UFC 333 would keep O'Malley out of the title picture, as he's already lost to him twice. 

Alluding to the elements at play, O'Malley stated, "If Petr Yan goes out there and gets the job done, "Sugar Show," we're fighting for the title again whether people like it or not." 

Hinting that he's not likely to fight anyone until the third Yan-Dvalishvili fight is over, O'Malley said: 

"I'm sitting out. I'm sitting my happy a** out till October 24th. I want to see what happens. Even if Petr Yan loses, who knows? Maybe we get that. Maybe I offer him a rematch even if he loses; probably not. But the division's fun." 

O'Malley emphasized that Dvalishvili's repeated nose injuries might hinder him in the trilogy clash against Yan, who possesses a good jab and straight punches. Also, he made an allusion to other exciting high-level fights at 135 pounds, including the UFC Shanghai headliner that pits Song Yadong against Umar Nurmagomedov on August 29. 

Watch Sean O'Malley discuss the Yan-Dvalishvili rubber match below (*comments at the 35:18-minute mark of the video): 

Sean O'Malley's recent resurgence after setbacks against Merab Dvalishvili; "The Machine" returns to the RAF

Sean O'Malley's back-to-back defeats against Merab Dvalishvili led some to question whether he'll be able to maintain his position as an elite fighter in the UFC bantamweight ranks.

The American fighter, on his part, has managed to stage a noticeable resurgence, as he's notched a pair of wins. He beat Song Yadong via unanimous decision earlier this year and then TKO'd Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250 in June. 

As for Petr Yan, he's reportedly rehabilitated a back injury and been busy with other obligations during his sabbatical from the grind of professional mixed martial arts competition. Nevertheless, he's set to return at UFC 333 against Dvalishvili. 

Speaking of Dvalishvili, he's booked for a detour before UFC 333, as he'll be returning to the realm of freestyle wrestling under the Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling banner.

"The Machine" is set to face Olympic gold medalist and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo in a wrestling rematch -- this time for the inaugural RAF lightweight crossover title -- at RAF 12 on August 22. He bested Cejudo via decision (11-8) after three periods at RAF Georgia last month.