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Dana White once labeled Sean O'Malley as "the biggest star ever in bantamweight history."
In March 2024, O'Malley secured a significant win for his legacy at UFC 299, a unanimous decision against Marlon 'Chito' Vera to defend his bantamweight title for the first time.
O'Malley's first loss under the UFC banner was a first-round knockout against Vera in August 2020, making his revenge-fulfilling rematch an important milestone.
Following O'Malley's dominant win, Dana White sat down for the UFC 299 post-event interview and had this to say about 'Sugar':
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"He's on his way [to becoming one of the biggest stars we've ever seen]. He's the biggest star ever in bantamweight history. We can say that right now."
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Sean O'Malley failed to defend his bantamweight title for a second time, suffering a unanimous decision defeat against Merab Dvalishvili in the Noche UFC main event in September 2024.
O'Malley has since recovered from a torn labrum in his hip and eliminated social media distractions to prepare for a rematch with Dvalishvili.
Check out Dana White's comments below (1:55):
Sean O'Malley is "very confident" he can knock out Merab Dvalishvili in upcoming rematch
On June 7, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight title in a rematch against Sean O'Malley in the UFC 316 main event.
The upcoming pay-per-view event goes down inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
O'Malley recently appeared on 'The Jim Rome Show' and had this to say about his highly anticipated rematch:
''I gotta win the first three rounds and I gotta win the last two rounds. I gotta break 'The Machine' and I gotta beat him, win the positions, and I know I could beat Merab. He is open to getting knocked out. I am very confident that I can put his lights out. I am also confident that I can beat him in a five-round fight.''
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments about Dvalishvili below:
Following his win against Sean O'Malley, Merab Dvalishvili defended his throne for the first time against Umar Nurmagomedov in January.
