Snubbing Best Friend Aljamain Sterling Over Title Shot, Sean O’Malley Gets a Brutal Reality Check on Championship Reign in Callout by Merab Dvalishvili

UFC bantamweight contender, Merab Dvalishvili, has called out Sean O’Malley. Riding an impressive 9-fight win streak, Dvalishvili has long been touted as the next title contender. Currently ranked second on the UFC’s official bantamweight ranking, he is trailing just behind the former champion. In fact, in his last two fights, ‘Machine’ soundly beat two former UFC champions, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo. Considering all this, this callout seems totally justified and shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

However, this brings up the question of the former champion and Dvalishvili’s teammate, Aljamain Sterling. In his last match, the Jamaican-American athlete dropped the UFC gold to Sean O’Malley after getting knocked out in the second round. He is yet to get a rematch. In the past, both men have refused to face each other. But after Sterling’s loss, things seem to be getting complicated.

Merab Dvalishvili calls out Sean O’Malley for a possible title match

In one of his recent posts, Merab Dvalishvili called out current bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. In his post, the Georgian mocked O’Malley’s callout of Marlon Vera, highlighting ‘Chito’s rank. Further, ‘Machine’ also claimed himself to be the most deserving of a title shot and challenged ‘Sugar’ for the bantamweight title. However, before throwing in the challenge, the fighter also addressed O’Malley’s status as a champion, showing his respect for the title-holder.

The post reads, “Bro, respect you are a champion, but everyone knows I am the most deserving of this shot. Before you fight guys from outside of the top 15. Now you are a champion and call someone from outside the top 5 with a 1-win streak. Put respect on your division and yourself and fight next in line.” Owing to his record, Dvalishvili has been touted as the next big thing for the 135lb division for a while now. In fact, after he beat Yan, many were rooting for the Georgian to be next in line to fight for the bantamweight title.

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But the fighter refused to face his teammate, citing their friendship as a reason. ‘Funkmaster’ also claimed that he would soon move up to the 145lb division, vacating the title for Dvalishvili. However, after the former champion lost his title in his previous match, fans were left speculating about the next thing in the 135lb division. Winning the belt, in 2021, Sterling defended his title thrice, making a strong case for a rematch. But at the same time, ‘Machine’s feats can’t be ignored either. So the question remains, A rematch for Sterling or a title shot for Dvalishvili? Looks like the Georgian has an answer.

A series of wild callouts between the men

During the UFC 293 event in Sydney, Aljamain Sterling did something that started a sort of social media war of call-outs between the UFC bantamweight A-listers. Present in the crowd during the event, Sterling called out champion Sean O’Malley in a unique way during the broadcast of the event. As the camera faced the former champion, the Jamaican-American athlete turned his phone towards the camera, which read ‘Rematch Suga’. In reply, Sean O’Malley clapped back and showed a ‘No’ on his own phone screen. Thus, denying Sterling’s demand.

Playing with the same tune, Marlon Vera too decided to put forward his own demand as he posted a picture with his phone displaying ‘I’m Next’. However, this didn’t go too well with Sterling’s teammate Merab Dvalishvili who quickly posted a similar picture with the message ‘Wait ur turn #6’. For those unaware, ‘Chito’ is currently ranked sixth on the official UFC bantamweight rankings. Thus, Merab’s message was a reminder to Vera that he stands behind him in line for a possible title shot.

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