‘Funkmaster’ didn’t get a rematch after losing his bantamweight title at UFC 292.
Recently, Dana White announced that the UFC 316 main event will feature a bantamweight title fight between champion Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley in a rematch.
This announcement was made on April 1st, leading some fans to wonder if it was an April Fools` joke, especially after their face-off at UFC 306 last September.
Sean O’Malley has addressed criticism regarding the rematch, particularly since his last fight was a loss to Merab Dvalishvili.
Aljamain Sterling, O’Malley`s former opponent and Dvalishvili’s teammate, shared his thoughts on the decision to schedule this rematch on June 7th in Newark, after being asked for his opinion.
Aljamain Sterling Believes Sean O’Malley Deserves Rematch with Merab Dvalishvili
In a post on X, Aljamain Sterling, the former bantamweight champion, explained his reasoning for why the UFC 316 rematch is justified.
A key point in favor of this bantamweight title fight is the fact that Sean O’Malley had injuries leading up to their first match.
The judges` scorecards at UFC 306 were quite close, and Sean O’Malley even managed to hurt Merab Dvalishvili in the fight`s final moments. This suggests the fight`s outcome could have been different if those strikes had landed earlier.
Sterling also mentioned several factors that affected his performance before his UFC 292 title defense against O’Malley. In that fight, Sterling lost in the second round after a short turnaround time.
Despite wanting a rematch and moving up to featherweight, where he has a 1-1 record, Sterling was not given an immediate rematch opportunity.
Sterling stated that from a business perspective, a rematch makes sense because O’Malley is a big name in the division. He also argued that O’Malley has earned this chance based on his overall performance in the 135-pound division.
“Honestly, the UFC will prioritize business and their brand. Would I have preferred an immediate rematch considering the circumstances of our first fight? Absolutely. However, I understand the business side better than most. O’Malley is an exciting fighter who has defeated many top contenders. Therefore, I believe he rightfully deserves this rematch after defeating numerous ranked opponents.”
Sean O’Malley`s Record Also Plays a Role in Rematch
While Aljamain Sterling argued that Sean O’Malley deserves the rematch due to his victories over top contenders, Merab Dvalishvili`s record is also a factor.
If Merab Dvalishvili hadn`t convincingly defeated Petr Yan in their 2023 fight, Yan would have a stronger argument for being next in line for a title shot.
After defeating Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January, there aren`t many other logical fresh opponents for Dvalishvili at the moment.
Sean O’Malley might be one of the most popular fighters, but timing also seems to be on his side in this situation.
