Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is giving former bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, a chance to reclaim his crown when he goes head-to-head for a second time against reigning 135-pound titleholder, Merab Dvalishvili, atop the UFC 316 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Sat., June 7, 2025 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
UFC fans are “pissed off” about O’Malley’s immediate rematch, despite the usual promoter hyperbole, simply because “Suga” was complete shut down in their five-round affair atop the UFC 306 fight card last fall.
Or was he?
“I don’t think a lot of people went and truly rewatched it because it’s not one of those fights that it’s super worth rewatching,” O’Malley told Ariel Helwani. “I do think the second time watching it, you realize it is a little bit closer than the first time you watched it live, but I don’t think many people rewatched it and they weren’t interested in rewatching it and their opinions are just going to kind of stay the same.”
Most UFC fans are just full of s—t anyway, according to UFC CEO, Dana White.
“Again, they’re not interested, don’t watch it,” O’Malley continued. “But when I go out there and win, I guarantee people are going to rewatch it or at least rewatch the finish if there’s a finish. Might be a five-round decision, could be a finish, we’ll see. I think at the end of the day, that Saturday rolls around, people are going to be talking about it.”
White has been trying to convince UFC fans that O’Malley is the biggest star in the history of the bantamweight division (see those comments here). That bold declaration naturally came with its share of detractors, but “Suga” believes (as does this retired title challenger) that he’s just a couple of wins away from become the greatest of all time.
That journey continues on June 7 in “The Garden State.”
