“I want to stay busy. I wanted to fight in March, and even though I’m fighting in January, I still want to compete in both March and April. There’s a fight in Vegas in March, and I’d love to be part of it. If Sean O’Malley returns then, I’m ready to fight.”, Merab Dvalishvili made his intentions clear last month while speaking to The Schmo. Leading up to his first title defense at UFC 311 against Umar Nurmagomedov, ‘The Machine’ had already hinted at a potential rematch with the former champion in March.

However, more than a month has passed since his victory over ‘Young Eagle’, and with spring just around the corner, fans are still eagerly waiting for an update. Merab Dvalishvili’s last performance was nothing short of dominant, as he snapped Nurmagomedov’s 18-fight unbeaten streak. Meanwhile, Sean O’Malley is still recovering from a torn shoulder labrum injury that required surgery. ‘Suga’, who lost both his title and momentum in his first fight against ‘The Machine’ at UFC 306 last September, previously suggested he could return in the first quarter of 2025.

Despite ongoing speculation, officials have not yet announced the highly anticipated rematch. At the UFC Seattle post-fight press conference, a reporter finally pressed Dana White for answers.

“The bantamweight division—Sean O’Malley is looking likely to rematch Merab, right?… I’m kind of curious about how the matchmaking came to be. Again, I don’t think the O’Malley fight is official yet, right? But we’re leaning towards that. How did we get there with so many different options?”, the reporter asked Dana White, to which, the UFC CEO firmly replied, “They want to fight each other. I think people want to see it.”

Despite the absence of any significant updates from Dana White or the UFC, many MMA pundits continue to speculate that the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley rematch is on the horizon. In their first encounter, the Georgian claimed a unanimous victory over ‘Suga’, with scorecards reading 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.

With the result, O’Malley result sparked controversy, arguing that he was the victim of a “robbery,” claiming that he had won the “1st, 3rd, and 5th” rounds. Since then, the American has repeatedly called for a rematch. The pressing question now is: What adjustments will O’Malley make to his strategy in order to overcome ‘The Machine’ in a potential second fight?

How is Sean O’Malley preparing for the Merab Dvalishvili rematch?

“I need to level up, especially if I want to beat Umar,” Sean O’Malley admitted. But how does he plan to do this? By eliminating distractions and honing in on his career. ‘Suga’ has decided to step back from social media, cutting ties to regain focus. Throughout his UFC journey, the American rose to become one of the biggest stars of the younger generation, alongside talents like Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett. At one point, he was even seen as the ‘face of the UFC’ or potentially the next Conor McGregor.

But after his loss to Merab Dvalishvili, which ended his six-fight win streak, and witnessing ‘The Machine’s impressive performance against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, Sean O’Malley recognized the need to elevate his game. That defeat was a wake-up call, motivating him to reassess and make the necessary adjustments.

To avoid distractions, O’Malley has made a conscious decision to cut down on social media activity. He explained, “Social media is the biggest distraction right now for me. I’ve already started reading more, writing more, it’s just going to force me to continue to do stuff like that, and that’s where I feel like I’m going to be able to learn this lesson of whatever is trying to be taught to me. I feel like it’s already been good. 2025 is going to be exciting. I’m not going to be on social, I said, until my next fight (is over).”

All eyes are now on Dana White and his team as the clock ticks down. In a recent Instagram Live, Dana revealed the highly anticipated UFC summer fight card, greeting fans with his trademark line, “What’s up, everybody?” As we wait for the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley fight and his next move, we’ll need to stay tuned for more updates.