UFC boss Dana White teases the fight “people want to see” at bantamweight

It’s not yet clear who UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his title against next. However, company president Dana White dropped a big clue following Saturday’s Fight Night card in Seattle.

He claimed that Dvalishvili wants to run it back with the man we won the title from last year, Sean O’Malley, and that the feeling is mutual. He also called the rematch a fight “people want to see” at 135 pounds.

“They want to fight each other, and I think people want to see it,” White said when asked about a potential Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley rematch.

Dana White is asked about a rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley:

“They want to fight each other, and I think people want to see it.” 👀#UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/MhBpQTT6XS

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 23, 2025

Sean O’Malley won the UFC bantamweight title in 2023, when he knocked out long-time champion Aljamain Sterling. He then defended the belt once, avenging his first career loss with a decision win over Marlon “Chito” Vera. Then came his meeting with Merab Dvalishvili at the Las Vegas Sphere last September.

Dvalishvili was in total control of their title fight, and despite being stung by a body shot in the fight’s final moments, had clearly done enough to win a decision after five rounds were up.

After swiping the title from O’Malley, he then defended the title with an impressive decision victory of Umar Nurmagomedov. That performance earned praise from Dana White, and pretty much anybody else who was tuned in.

While O’Malley has not won since losing his title to Dvalishvili, it’s easy to understand why White is interested in the rematch. Dvalishvili has already beaten most of the other top contenders in the weight class. That means he’ll probably need to start participating in rematches, and a sequel with O’Malley is clearly the biggest of the bunch.