Sean O'Malley's next fight under scrutiny as Merab Dvalishvili's coach weighs in on immediate rematch

Sean O'Malley will challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title on June 7 at UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey. Weeks away from the fight, Dvalishvili's coach, John Wood, commented on O'Malley getting an immediate rematch.

'Suga' lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 last year via unanimous decision. O'Malley hasn't fought in the octagon since that fight, whereas Dvalishvili has already defended his title once.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Dvalishvili's coach expressed his opinions on O'Malley getting an immediate title shot, saying:

"First and foremost, I'll say it time and time again, the UFC knows what they do. They are way smarter than any of us when it comes to the business of it, so I never knock them off who deserves or who shouldn't... We don't know what's gone on the backend or who was available, who wasn't available when they are making these cards."

He added:

"Do I personally think that [O'Malley] should have had to have fought somebody else? Yes, I do. In the realm of the rankings and who's there, I think it would have been a bigger build-up."

Check out John Wood's comments below (15:54):

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Sean O'Malley's coach issues a prediction for the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley rematch

Sean O'Malley fought with a pre-existing hip injury at UFC 306 against Merab Dvalishvili. Following the fight, he underwent surgery to address the issue. As the rematch approaches, O'Malley's coach, Tim Welch, has expressed confidence in his fighter.

In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, Welch shared his predictions for the rematch, saying:

"The shape he's in right now, it's hard for me not to bet that Sean's going to TKO him. He's going to find Merab's chin at some point. If Merab takes a shot at the wrong time, Sean's reactions are so good that he could be sleeping. So I'm thinking he's gonna TKO him."

Check out Tim Welch's comments below (15:12):