Sean O’Malley reacts to UFC 316 title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili

Sean O’Malley has shared his first words publicly since the announcement of his UFC 316 title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili.

UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 will be held inside the Prudential Center in Newark on June 7. The “Sugar” show lost the UFC Bantamweight Championship to “The Machine” back in Sept. 2024. O’Malley didn’t have an answer for his opponent’s relentless pressure.

O’Malley underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his left hip after the fight, and he is now healed for the rematch.

RELATED: DANA WHITE ANNOUNCES TWO TITLE FIGHTS FOR UFC 316, INCLUDING MERAB DVALISHVILI VS. SEAN O’MALLEY 2

Sean O’Malley Speaks on UFC 316 Title Fight

On episode 314 of the “TimboSugarShow,” Sean O’Malley responded to those who have criticized his rematch against Merab Dvalishvili (via MMAMania).

“The rematch is official, ‘Suga’ Sean vs. Merab 2 is happening, and I don’t think people are gonna be too happy about it,” O’Malley said on YouTube. “The last time I fought the best bantamweight in the world, or the best bantamweight at the time, we got the job done. I’m very confident in my skills, last camp, we had some sh*t going on, I don’t want to sit here and make excuses. We had a great camp, we showed up, I was in shape we did what we could. This camp has already been a lot different, and I’m feeling good. So, super excited to be able to go out there and take care of business. I feel like a lot of things I’ve made change-wise in my life are gonna attribute to my performance.”

Dvalishvili is coming off his first successful UFC title defense over Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. He won the fight via unanimous decision. It’ll be interesting to see if O’Malley can make the proper adjustments to end the reign of Dvalishvili, who has developed a reputation for being a cardio machine.