Former Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has weighed in on the recent incident involving Merab Dvalishvili and fans.
Dvalishvili, is the current Bantamweight champion and was in Las Vegas to support his teammate Aljamain Sterling during his loss to Movsar Evloev. However, things took a turn when Merab got into an altercation with fans, leading to one of his team members throwing punches at a spectator.
Known for his fiery temperament at live events, Merad had a similar incident at a CJI grappling event in August, where he jumped over two barriers to confront a heckler, eventually pulling the fan’s hair.
Although Dvalishvili is a rising star in the UFC, he has repeatedly found himself amid controversy. This was evident at UFC Fight Night Paris, where he confronted a fan. On that occasion, however, the altercation remained verbal and didn’t escalate further.
Sean O’Malley Takes a Jab at Merab After Latest Fan Incident
After Merab Dvalishvili dethroned ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley, the two were always destined to be rivals, with O’Malley never one to shy away from the spotlight. At the same time, Merab has repeatedly been embroiled in fan-related controversies.
O’Malley seized the opportunity to take a subtle jab at Merab’s fighting style following the recent fan incident, taking to X to say;
“Merab only throws hands with fans in the stands.”
As of writing, Merab has not yet responded to Sean O’Malley’s remark. However, one thing is certain, ‘The Machine’ will undoubtedly make his feelings known and likely fire back at the post.
O’Malley Responds on Social Media After Merab Defeats Him; Rematch with Yan on the Horizon
O’Malley suffered just the second loss of his career when he lost the Bantamweight title to Merab in September. Since then, he has been engaging in back-and-forth exchanges, with the division’s contenders on social media.
Merab dominated O’Malley throughout their fight, allowing only a brief moment of success for O’Malley in the third round. This has led to the argument that Merab should face contenders like Umar Nurmagomedov and Petr Yan before a potential rematch with Sean O’Malley.
With Merab set to fight Umar in January, and O’Malley still ranked as the number one contender, this leaves Petr Yan available for a rematch with O’Malley following their controversial split decision loss back in 2023.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
