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UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili recently hit back at divisional champion Sean O'Malley's comments about facing him in the octagon.
O'Malley commented on a potential title defense against Dvalishvili after successfully defending his championship at UFC 299 against Marlon Vera.
'Sugar' described the setting and named Dvalishvili's teammate and former champion Aljamain Sterling on the sidelines alongside the rest of the team, including coach Ray Longo and former welterweight champion Matt Serra.
On his podcast, the TimboSugarShow, O'Malley said:
"I just close my eyes and I cannot wait to see Merab standing across from me. Seeing Aljo [Sterling] just frowning in the corner, and seeing Matt Serra just sad with Ray Longo... Like f**k, it's about to happen again."
Check out O'Malley's podcast below:
Dvalishvili reposted a clip of those remarks on his story and even commented on the post itself, hitting back at 'Sugar' and promising to take away the title from him.
He also defended his team by adding that it was O'Malley's coach Tim Welch who would be frowning after their potential fight.
Dvalishvili wrote:
"Well keep your eyes closed dreamer ... enjoy your time with that belt...cause when you open your eyes, the only ones who wil be frowning are you and your coach Tim when they strap that belt around me . [mechanical arm emoji]"
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments in the screenshot of his Instagram story below:
![A screenshot of Dvalishvili's story on Instagram with his comments. [via Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/03/5df2f-17108515291360-1920.jpg)
Merab Dvalishvili urges Sean O'Malley to promote a potential matchup between them
Merab Dvalishvili's status as the number one contender in the bantamweight division has never been more undisputed.
Although their matchup is not official, Dvalishvili considers himself the next challenger for Sean O'Malley's title and urged the champion to promote their fight and make it even bigger.
In an interview on The MMA Hour, Dvalishvili stated that he was waiting on O'Malley:
"He's still not mentioning my name and he's still – I don't want to say ducking me or something but come on, bro. Let's build this fight, you know? We're gonna fight and let's build this fight and let's make even bigger... You are champion... Give division respect. You know, you gotta fight the best of the best, you gotta fight the number one contenders, especially [me], I'm here waiting."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's full comments below (5:20):
