Merab Dvalishvili expressed frustration and confusion over the preference of the new UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley to have Chito Vera as his first title defense opponent, despite Dvalishvili’s nine-fight winning streak and dominance over former champion Petr Yan.
Merab Dvalishvili seems to be struggling in making heads or tails out of the unexpected shift in the UFC bantamweight title scenario. This surprise came right after he culminated his division-best nine-fight victory streak with an impressive win over former champion Petr Yan in March, leading most people to guess that Dvalishvili’s following match would be for a UFC title. But the game changed when Sean O’Malley chalked up a surprising victory over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292, thus commencing a new phase in the bantamweight dominance.
O’Malley’s first title defense, interestingly, didn’t call out higher-ranked adversaries like Sterling or Dvalishvili. Instead, he singled out Chito Vera, the only man ever to defeat him. An official decision on O’Malley’s opponent has yet to be finalized, however, current indications suggest that O’Malley vs. Vera 2 could be the next title fight for the division. Needless to say, Dvalishvili found this decision as baffling as it was irritating.
“This is No. 1 bull***, man,” Dvalishvili vocalized on The MMA Hour, expressing his disillusionment. He shared, “Chito Vera is 1-1 [over his past two fights], and his last fight he beat the guy who, from his last eight fights, only has two wins.” Dvalishvili expressed his respect towards Pedro Munhoz, the last opponent Vera defeated, but spotlighted that he himself defeated Jose Aldo, the fighter who beat Vera. The Georgian contender, unbeaten since September 2018, felt dejected as he saw O’Malley pick a challenger who had lost a single sided decision in March, over himself.
Displaying resilience, Dvalishvili said that despite a recent hand injury, he is now fit and set to fight as per UFC’s demand. He is currently the third best in the UFC and strongly believes it’s his turn now. However, despite his will, Dvalishvili is well aware that he may be fighting an uphill battle. He admitted, “I’d be heartbroken [if I don’t fight for the title next]. Who am I? Nothing I can do. I never choose my opponent. I always accept what the UFC gives me.” Despite the uncertainty, Dvalishvili is willing to wait for the O’Malley vs. Vera 2 to take place in 2024, provided he gets promised the subsequent shot at the winner in the summer.