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UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley's potential next title defense against Merab Dvalishvili has him as the underdog on opening betting lines.
O'Malley successfully defended his championship for the first time against former opponent Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299.
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen remarked at his underdog status against Dvalishvili in a potential fight and referenced his clinical performance over the past weekend:
"They put out odds [for] O'Malley versus Topuria and they put out odds [for] O'Malley versus Merab. Both of which O'Malley, the star, the 14 million-dollar live gate, didn't lose a single round, one judge even had it 10-8, Saturday! I mean, how the hell is Merab going to beat him? You've got the answer, I've got the answer too. He's going to take him down and keep him there. This is the guy that – he was never taken down once on Saturday. So all of a sudden, we're questioning the guy's takedown defense..."
However, Sonnen pointed out that 'Sugar' will thrive in a circumstance where he is counted out.
"I knew Merab would be the favorite. Like that's not a huge surprise for me. I'm just reminding you right now that all you've done with Brer rabbit here is put him back into the briar patch. All you're doing with O'Malley and kicking him and trying to take things from him. Act like that win wasn't so impressive, already move on with the news cycle. Set him up, get him knocked down a notch. All you're doing is putting him right back where he loves to be and Merab got worked up about this."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Sean O'Malley below (6:15):
Sean O'Malley discusses landing knee on Marlon Vera's face
Sean O'Malley dominated much of the proceedings in the UFC 299 headliner, and his best strike came in the dying minutes of the second round.
'Sugar' caught Marlon Vera with a knee flush on the chin but, incredibly, the Ecuadorian fighter did not get knocked down and absorbed the damage.
In an interview on The MMA Hour, O'Malley discussed the knee and mentioned his own discomfort at landing it and hearing the impact:
"I would love to know if I broke something in his face with that knee. It was the loudest pop I've ever heard hitting someone. It was actually a disgusting feeling. It was gross. I would love to see a picture of his face today. Leading up, I was just so excited to get my hands on him, to beat his ass... I'm sure Chito's dealing with some s**t right now."
Check out Sean O'Malley's full comments below (4:34):
