Sean O’Malley is finally getting what he had been calling for – a rematch for the title against Merab Dvalishvili. Set to take place in a couple of months at UFC 316, the bantamweight title fight has sparked discussions about the possible victor of that contest, with former double champion Henry Cejudo chiming in as well. As per ‘Triple C’ analysis of the 135-pound title scene, he appeared a bit resentful, stating that Dana White is blatantly favoring O’Malley by giving him his rematch.

Sean O’Malley had been on such a dominant run that people expected him to get his rematch after dropping the belt at UFC 306. It was the biggest night for Dana White and Co., but not so much for ‘Suga’. While he had been away from action since that defeat, Merab Dvalishvili defended his title and retained it against Umar Nurmagomedov. This, according to Henry Cejudo, is the UFC’s way of ‘protecting’ O’Malley, or as most fans would say – ‘Dana White privilege’.

Suggesting that ‘Suga’ takes care of Merab Dvalishvili in the early rounds, Cejudo said, “I think we all knew it, bro. Sean O’Malley was going to get his rematch. It was the right thing to do to protect him, but I just feel like Sean has to get it done withing the first two rounds,” on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. The former double champion went on to explain why he used the term ‘protected’. If fans can recall, both Sean O’Malley and Henry Cejudo suffered dominant defeats against ‘The Machine’, and while Cejudo was sent down the pecking order. Regardless, he understands ‘Suga’s fan base and his capability to fill the seats in an arena.

“He’s been protected, dude. Like… does somebody really deserve a rematch after getting 50-45, Kamaru Usman? Like, no. You got 50-45. Get in the back of the motherf—ing line and fight the ‘Triple C’. But he’s not going to get that,” Henry Cejudo told co-host and former champion Kamaru Usman. “The UFC, they like him [O’Malley]. They like the teeny poppers. They want to get into that new generation… but Merab Dvalishvili, he’s pretty much going to do the same thing.”

Well, the UFC, after Conor McGregor, has lacked stars. Although Alex Pereira has stepped up to that role, there are still certain times when PPV cards or Fight Night cards lack star power. But in the eyes of Dana White, Sean O’Malley is that guy, and has mentioned in the past that the former bantamweight champion “isn’t going to be a star, he is a star.” 

Sean O’Malley, although for some it may seem that he’s got a title fight handed to him, isn’t taking this rematch lightly. In fact, he recently claimed that beating Merab Dvalishvili now will be a bigger win than most people imagine. Let’s take a look at what he had to say.

Sean O’Malley claims UFC 316 win over Merab Dvalishvili will silence all doubters

After Merab Dvalishvili’s another dominant performance at UFC 311 and a win over Umar Nurmagomedov, there’s been growing sentiment that he’s the best bantamweight ever. As such, Sean O’Malley claims that he would have gotten the same amount of respect if he had beaten the Georgian star back at UFC 306 as much as he could get at UFC 316 because of Dvalishvili’s stacked resume. And during his time away from social media, ‘Suga’ claims to have grown as a fighter and a person, crediting ‘The Machine’ for handing him a loss.

“If I would’ve beat Merab the first time, Merab was still considered like a stud. But now, he’s like, ‘Damn!’ He just beat me, beat Umar [Nurmagomedov],” Sean O’Malley stated on his YouTube channel. “I’ll forever be grateful for Merab in that sense that he beat me, made me become a better, not just fighter, better person, better human.” What do you think about this statement from the former champion?

It will all come down to UFC 316 in June when Merab Davlishvili locks horns with Sean O’Malley again, and we’ll find out if Henry Cejudo’s claim about Dana White favoring ‘Suga’ bears any fruit. But in the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.