Sean O’Malley took aim at Merab Dvalishvili’s recent antics on social media, but the fans aren’t exactly in ‘Suga’s corner! The two are set to clash for the bantamweight title at UFC 306 or ‘Riyadh Season Noche UFC’ on September 14. Marking the second time, the UFC will be celebrating Mexican Independence Day with a fight card, the event will be held at ‘The Sphere’ in Las Vegas.

O’Malley secured the bantamweight title at UFC 292 in 2023 when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling in the second round of their fight. Sterling is a close friend and long-time training partner of Dvalishvili, who wasn’t happy with the finishing sequence. In a post made on X, the Georgian UFC star had proclaimed after the fight, “I will smash O’Malley inside the cage and then smash his coach outside of the cage.”

The two also got into it at a recent promotional shoot for Noche UFC and the feud has once again spilled over into social media. In a post shared on Instagram by MMA Fighting, O’Malley’s jab at his upcoming opponent read, “Mirebs 2 biggest moments of his career. 1. I let him hold my jacket 2.He gets a cut before he fights me”

The ‘jacket incident’ took place at UFC 288 when Dvalishvili had claimed O’Malley’s ‘Michael Jackson’ inspired jacket for himself. Recently, however, the Georgian UFC star caused a lot of concern when he posted a picture of himself with a cut over his left eye just 25 days ahead of his upcoming title fight. Nevertheless, the fans have already picked a side in this feud as Sean O’Malley found himself being targeted by the online community over his remarks towards Dvalishvili. Keep reading to find out what the netizens had to say!

Sean O’Malley gets slammed by the fans over “casual take” on Merab Dvalishvili

One fan claimed that they were a fan of Merab Dvalishvili before he even got involved in the Sean O’Malley feud! They brought up a viral video from 2021 where Dvalishvili injured himself by trying to dive into a frozen lake. In the caption for the video on social media, ‘The Machine’ had stated that he was out for a run that morning, but, “Then I saw a pond which I thought was snow and water. BUT it turned out to be all ice and tree branches sticking out.”

“I honestly found merab cause of a video of him jumping into a frozen lake and busting his head open, made me a fan after that.”

Others laughed O’Malley’s comments off as a “casual take” and highlighted their win streaks to back up their argument. ‘The Machine’ is on a 9-fight win streak while ‘Suga’ hasn’t lost in his last 6 outings inside the Octagon.

“Casual take Merab’s current win streak longer than all of O’Malley’s UFC wins”

Some claimed that Dvalishvili would be able to submit O’Malley in the first round. While the Georgian’s wrestling is high-level enough for him to dominate fighters like Henry Cejudo and Petr Yan, a quick glance at Tapology shows that he has yet to secure a submission win in the UFC. Do you believe ‘Suga’ might lose his title via submission at Noche UFC?

“Watch Merab sub buddy in like a minute”

However, others weren’t impressed at Dvalishvili showing off his injury on social media. UFC CEO Dana White also felt the same way. In a recent press conference, he slammed the fighter by stating, “The whole world knows about Merab’s cut, he posted it. Our guys are so dumb, it’s next-level unbelievable.”

“Merab is a funny guy but bro is definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed.. Imagine O’Malley opens that cut and the doctor stops the fight”

The comments also indicated that fans believe that despite the heated build-up and barbs being traded back and forth, an O’Malley fight is still not a spectacle with the same drawing power like Conor McGregor.

“All this hype and promotion and Sean still won’t sell anything close to Conor”

In conclusion, it seems like while Sean O’Malley has the bantamweight belt, a lot of fans have chosen their champion to be ‘The Machine! The online community has rallied behind Dvalishvili, celebrating his grit and win streak, while questioning O’Malley’s ability to back up his bravado.

Do you think Sean O’Malley will find himself in trouble when faced with the overwhelming wrestling pressure of Merab Dvalishvili? Why or Why not? Let us know in the comments below!