'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
UFC 316 marks Merab Dvalishvili's second defense of his bantamweight title. Unfortunately for him, he has struggled with his motivation ahead of his rematch with Sean O'Malley, detailing his reasons in a recent interview with TNT Sports.
O'Malley is usually a trash-talker who belittles his opponents and pokes fun at them in various social media skits. This time, though, 'Suga' has been relatively respectful throughout the lead-up to the bout. And it has been a little too disarming for Dvalishvili, who had expected more animosity.
During an interview with TNT Sports, he said:
"Yeah, it's really weird this time. Like, he's talking nice to me. It's hard to be hungry and motivated because first time, when he was disrespecting me, I'm like, 'I'm gonna show you.' And I show everybody, you know. But like this time, I'm gonna keep it professional. I'd rather he talk trash again, disrespect me."
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's grievance with Sean O'Malley's recent conduct:
The last time the pair locked horns, it was at UFC 306. Back then, O'Malley was the reigning bantamweight champion, fresh off a dominant unanimous decision win over Marlon 'Chito' Vera in a rematch at UFC 299. High on confidence, he was dismissive of Dvalishvili as a threat.
In fact, O'Malley was even aiming to move up in weight and face Ilia Topuria for featherweight gold. Instead, Dvalishvili handed him a convincing loss, arguably winning four of the five rounds en route to a unanimous decision win.
Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley have been on different paths since UFC 306
Following UFC 306, Merab Dvalishvili went on to successfully defend his bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov. He handed the Dagestani wrestler his first-ever professional loss at UFC 311, beating him via unanimous decision in a competitive bout.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Sean O'Malley, who hasn't fought since losing his bantamweight belt to 'The Machine.' The nature of the immediate title rematch for O'Malley has led to accusations of favoritism, as he was neither a long-reigning champion, nor was the first fight close.
