Merab Dvalishvili silenced the skeptics at UFC 311 and handed Umar Nurmagomedov his first loss to retain the 135-pound world title. After the first pay-per-view card of the year, what’s next for the bantamweight champion? Having defeated one of the division’s boogeymen, as well as several legends and former world champions, fans are excited to know what’s next for Dvalishvili, and Daniel Cormier just provided us with an answer.

Speaking to Ben Askren on his YouTube channel, Cormier revealed that the next item on the list for the Georgian would be a rematch against Sean O’Malley. The conversation began when Askren wondered who’s left to face ‘The Machine,’ since he has faced and battered them all inside the Octagon. “Look at Merab’s resume. This dude fought—I mean, because you’re looking like, who’s he going to fight next? And then you look at him, you’re like, Oh my God.”

Naming the likes of Sean O’Malley, Peter Yan, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Henry Cejudo, top-tier guys that Merab Dvalishvili has faced and defeated, Cormier added that while ‘The Machine’ hasn’t fought Cory Sandhagen, it will be ‘Suga’ who will get the next title shot. Considering that Nurmagomedov broke his hand and Sandhagen is coming off a loss, ‘DC’ revealed that Dana White wants to give O’Malley another try. He said, “Well, I think he’s gonna fight Sean O’Malley next again.” Daniel Cormier further added, “So Merab is gonna fight Sean O’Malley next, according to Dana White.” 

Cormier further suggested that this time around, ‘Suga’ should be focusing a lot on his wrestling skills. Suggesting his own gym as well as Ben Askren’s, the UFC commentator puts emphasis on the fact that this time around O’Malley will have to learn how to handle the takedowns of the Georgian fighter. However, according to Askren, it’ll still remain a lost cause since in his opinion, Dvalishvili simply overpowers the former bantamweight champion. To make matters even worse, ‘Suga’ would be coming off a recent surgery to repair a torn labrum on his left hip.

Well, fans would hope that the second fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley looks nothing like their first fight. After all, it was such a disaster at the much-anticipated UFC sphere that Dana White hoped people switched off their TV sets. Despite his last fight against ‘Suga’ being a dud, the Georgian made a massive comeback by delivering the fight of the night at UFC 311. Not just that, he also made an entry into the top 5 of the pound-for-pound rankings.

Merab Dvalishvili makes it to the top 5

Merab Dvalishvili has joined the top 5 of the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. The Georgian bantamweight champion moved up two spots to fifth place on the list, which includes the top fighters in the organization, regardless of the weight class they compete in, and is headed by Islam Makhachev, the lightweight division’s champion.

Belal Muhammad, the UFC’s welterweight kingpin, is currently ranked number six on the list and lost his spot among the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC due to Dvalishvili’s meteoric rise. The second fighter that the Georgian overtook in the standings was Dricus du Plessis. But despite everything, Islam Makhachev remains at the top.

With a first-round submission victory against Renato Moicano, it seems impossible to dethrone the Dagestani off the top. However, it is worth noting that the Georgian achieved his twelfth consecutive victory in the biggest MMA promotion in the world. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he gave Makhachev a run for his money. What do you think? Can Merab Dvalishvili claim the number-one spot on the pound-for-pound rankings? Let us know in the comments.