Sean O’Malley is confident he will deliver a much stronger performance in his upcoming rematch with Merab Dvalishvili.
UFC CEO Dana White announced that O’Malley will challenge Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title at UFC 316 in June. This is a rematch of their previous title fight at UFC 306, where Dvalishvili secured a decisive victory by decision. However, O’Malley insists that the second fight will have a different outcome.
“The rematch is official: ‘Suga’ Sean versus Merab 2,” O’Malley announced on his YouTube channel. He acknowledged that some fans might be unhappy about the rematch. He recalled his victory over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 for the bantamweight title, stating his confidence in his abilities. O’Malley admitted that his last training camp had challenges, but he avoided making excuses, emphasizing that he was in shape and prepared as best as possible under the circumstances. He highlighted that this training camp is already significantly better and expressed his eagerness to compete and win.
The decision to grant O’Malley an immediate rematch was met with criticism from the MMA community, considering Dvalishvili`s clear win in their first encounter and subsequent title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov. O’Malley hasn`t fought since his loss to Dvalishvili and underwent hip surgery and recovery. Despite this, O’Malley claims to be in training camp and intends to prove that his previous loss was due to him not being at his peak performance.
O’Malley revealed that in the lead-up to their first fight, he suffered a torn labrum ten weeks prior, causing significant groin pain that disrupted his sleep and training. He acknowledged that fighting a top-level opponent like Dvalishvili under such conditions was not ideal.
“If our current training pace continues until the fight, I expect to be 70 percent better than in our first match. I`ll be significantly more mobile, agile, and in better condition. I`m going to fight at my full potential,” O’Malley stated. He added that while he was satisfied with his performance in the first fight considering his physical condition, he believes the rematch is meant to happen and will make his victory even more impressive.
UFC 316 is scheduled for June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
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