Sean O’Malley Defies Logic With Demands, Shuts Down Top Ranked Merab Dvalishvili Ahead of UFC 292 With Chito Vera Rhetoric

After his decision victory over Petr Yan, Sean O’Malley looks to face the current UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling. At the media event ahead of the UFC 292 event, ‘Sugar’ took some time off to talk about his upcoming fight and his opinions on managers amongst other things. Notably, however, the conversation steered toward his past run-in with the Ecuadorian UFC fighter Marlon Vera and the idea of a match against Merab Dvalishvili.

The Georgian fighter Merab is currently ranked #1 on the UFC bantamweight rankings and would be a prime proposition; if Sean O’Malley is looking for a challenge. However, ‘Sugar’ has some history with ‘Chito’ Marlon Vera. Vera handed him his first and only UFC loss at the Bantamweight co-main event at UFC 252. The loss via TKO which Sean addressed in the past on public platforms is definitely a factor that O’Malley will consider while entertaining the idea of a fight. To find out, one reporter asked, “Given your history with the jacket and everything like, are you interested in that fight or?”.

Sean O’Malley makes his pick clear ahead of UFC 292

The jacket incident refers to another piece of history tying O’Malley to ‘The Machine’ Dvalishvili. At UFC 288, during an in-Octagon face-off against Aljamain Sterling, Sean was sporting a red Michael-Jackson-inspired jacket. He mistakenly handed the jacket to Merab who paraded around in it and stole the show. Bringing up the past incident, I asked Sean his opinion on which fight he’d be more interested in: A bout with Merab or a rematch with “Chito”. ‘Sugar’ answered, “I mean if you ask me which fight was bigger, me vs Chito or me vs Merab, I’m pretty sure we could all agree on which one’s bigger”. He referred to the rematch against ‘Chito’ because of its significance in his career. Sean O’Malley sounded quite sure of the fight he wanted to have.

Elaborating on his reasoning, he said, “I’m in the fight business. I’ve been saying that. I’ve never been afraid to say that. This is a business to me. Who makes more money? Me vs Merab or Me vs Chito? It’s very simple to me”. A potential rematch would see more seats filling up according to O’Malley, something that he prioritizes. In this interaction, one thing was clear; Sean sees the jacket episode as a playful incident and not something to base a fight off of.

Looking back at the jacket incident

Before his revelation, Sean O’Malley was further asked questions about the jacket incident. When asked about whether he was able to find some humor in the incident on looking back, Sean casually answered in agreement. “No, I thought it was silly”. He expanded, “I didn’t recognize Merab. How funny is that? I thought he was just a f**king worker. I handed Merab my jacket. Like that’s hilarious. I didn’t know who Merab was. That’s funny. I find it very funny”.

Read More: “Fight Me”: 3 Years After Their Fight Failed to Come to Fruition, UFC HOFer Robbie Lawler Receives a BKFC Offer From Mike Perry

While clips of Merab donning the jacket went viral, Sean O’Malley humorously clarified his innocent mistake. However, his dismissal of the #1 ranked fighter also serves as an anchor for the discussion of his statements. As he clarified, monetary compensation takes center stage. But it is difficult to overlook the idea that ‘Sugar’s dismissal of ‘The Machine’ also comes from wanting to set the score straight with ‘Chito’. As a potential fight brews, for the time being, fans will be eager to watch Sean take on the ‘Funk Master’ Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.

Watch this Story: What Did Conor McGregor Say To American Rapper Saweetie During Jake Paul Vs Nate Diaz Boxing Match