‘Funkmaster’ didn’t receive a rematch after losing the bantamweight title at UFC 292.
Dana White recently confirmed the news that in the main event of UFC 316, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will face Sean O’Malley in a rematch.
The news came on April 1 which led to fans questioning whether White was playing a prank on them after we last saw both men face off at UFC 306 last September.
O’Malley has already responded to some of the criticism to the rematch due to the fact he hasn’t fought since being beaten by ‘The Machine’ at Sphere.
After being asked for his opinion, O’Malley’s former opponent and Dvalishvili’s teammate weighed in with his thoughts on the decision to run this one back on June 7 in Newark.
Aljamain Sterling says Sean O’Malley deserves his rematch with Merab Dvalishvili
In a post on X, former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling explained why he believes that the UFC 316 rematch makes sense.
One of the major narratives heading into the bantamweight title fight, along with being an argument for it happening in the first place, is the injuries that Sean O’Malley carried into the bout.
The scorecards at UFC 306 were fairly close and ‘Suga’ was even able to hurt Merab Dvalishvili in the final moments of the fight which could’ve resulted in a different outcome if he had landed earlier.
Sterling had also raised several factors that impacted his performance ahead of his UFC 292 title defense against O’Malley where he was stopped in the second round after making a relatively quick turnaround.
He wasn’t offered the opportunity for a rematch despite calling for this having since moved up to the featherweight division where he has gone 1-1.
Along with stating the business aspects of putting this rematch together with the former champ being the biggest name in the division, Sterling also made the case for why his former foe deserves this opportunity based on the body of work that he has put together at 135-pounds.
“Honest answer, the UFC’s gonna do what’s best for the business and the brand. Would I have liked an immediate rematch due to the circumstances going into the first fight? Absolutely. But I understand the business model better than most, and O’Malley is a really exciting guy that has beaten many top five contenders. So I think he rightfully deserves it after all the ranked names he has beaten.”
Sean O’Malley has also benefitted from Merab Dvalishvili’s record
Whilst Aljamain Sterling made the case that Sean O’Malley deserves the rematch based on how many top contenders he’s beaten, Merab Dvalishvili’s record also comes into consideration.
Had it not been for the fact that ‘The Machine’ was totally dominant against Petr Yan in their 2023 matchup, ‘No Mercy’ would have a much stronger case to be the next in line.
Having beaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January, any of the fresh challenges that are out there for Dvalishvili don’t make a lot of sense right now.
O’Malley may be one of the biggest names on the roster but he has also been in the right place at the right time on this occasion.