Umar Nurmagomedov reacts after Merab Dvalishvili dethrones Sean O’Malley at UFC 306: “I hope he won’t avoid the real challenger”

Umar Nurmagomedov has given his thoughts on Merab Dvalishvili dethroning Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.

Last night, Merab Dvalishvili got the job done in style. He dominated Sean O’Malley in the main event of Noche UFC to become the new UFC bantamweight champion. From pillar to post, he produced an excellent performance to ensure he was the one leaving Las Vegas with the gold.

RELATED: Merab Dvalishvili calls Umar Nurmagomedov an “easy” fight for him: “I will dominate him”

As you can imagine, there have been plenty of reactions online already to what went down at the Sphere. Some were surprised to see O’Malley on the receiving end of a beating like that, whereas others felt as if it was inevitable that Dvalishvili would be able to have this kind of success.

Either way, there are plenty of discussions to be had in the aftermath of the bout. One of them will be regarding who the next challenger is, and in the eyes of Umar Nurmagomedov, it should be him.

I expected more from Sean, Merab did his job well. I hope he won't avoid the real challenger.
In any case, I'm ready.

— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) September 15, 2024

Nurmagomedov calls out Dvalishvili

“I expected more from Sean, Merab did his job well. I hope he won’t avoid the real challenger. In any case, I’m ready.”

In terms of who is going to get the first shot at the champion, it really does remain to be seen. O’Malley getting an immediate rematch feels unlikely given the nature of how the fight played out, so maybe it will in fact be Umar who gets the nod. Whatever the case may be, things are as exciting as ever in the bantamweight division.

What do you believe will happen next in the bantamweight division? Would you be interested in seeing Merab Dvalishvili go up against Umar Nurmagomedov? Who would you back to win that fight? Let us know your thoughts on this, BJPENN Nation!