Sean O’Malley (left)(image via UFC / YouTube)

By FCF Staff

It’s not clear yet when Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili will fight. But, when they do, the UFC’s bantamweight champ says he’ll ensure Dvalishvili doesn’t get into his groove.

Following Dvalishvili’s decision to win over former champ, Henry Cejudo, in February, the Georgian fighter is expected to be next for a title shot. That victory was Dvalishvili’s 10th straight, and in addition to defeating Cejudo, the grappling-centric fighter has defeated the likes of Petr Yan and Jose Aldo during that stretch.

More recently, O’Malley (18-1) weighed in on the anticipated match-up with the surging contender during the TimboSugarShow podcast. While doing so, O’Malley pledged he’ll do what he can to make sure Dvalishvili (17-4) is far from comfortable during their fight (quotes via MMA Junkie.com).

“God, I just want to hit him with that knee: Boom – flatline him,” O’Malley said. “After his Henry (Cejudo) fight, he’s like, ‘Man, I was just having so much fun in there, didn’t even feel like a fight.’ I need to make him feel like, ‘OK, it’s not that fun. I’m getting f*cking punched at a distance, and I can’t really close. This isn’t fun.’

“Henry fight was fun because Henry – I mean, he did crack him once, but he was just able to grab him, take him down, grab, take him down, punch him. I need to make it not fun – not enjoyable to be in there.”

O’Malley also claimed that he’s trying to book a fight with Dvalishvili “ASAP”. But, also added he’s not interested in fighting outside of the United States.

The champion defended the bantamweight title in March, by avenging his 2020 stoppage loss to Marlon Vera with a unanimous decision victory.