Sean O’Malley, Merab Dvalishvili’s Next Best Fights After UFC 306 Results

Alex BallentineSeptember 15, 2024Sean O’Malley, Merab Dvalishvili’s Next Best Fights After UFC 306 Results0 of 2

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

UFC 306 is in the books and Merab Dvalishvili came away as the biggest winner on the night. After winning 10 consecutive fights going back to 2018 he got his chance at UFC gold and secured the bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over Sean O’Malley.

It’s a historic night for Dvalishvili as he became the second fighter from the nation of Georgia to become a UFC champion. Ilia Topuria is the first.

But it’s also a seismic shift for the bantamweight division. O’Malley appeared to be on his way to a memorable run with the belt before running into a tough matchup with the 33-year-old.

Here, we’ll take an initial look at some of the best options for each fighter. From matchups that will help Dvalishvili establish himself as the rightful holder of the crown to fun bounce-back possibilities for O’Malley, here are a few ideas for each.

Dvalishvili’s Next Best Fights1 of 2

Umar NurmagomedovJosh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Rematch with Sean O’MalleyUmar NurmagomedovDeiveson FigueiredoThe first major obstacle of any new champion is the first title defense. As the old adage goes, you aren’t a true champion until you actually defend the belt.

Dvalishsvili has put together a great streak of wins and tamed a dynamic champion in Sean O’Malley, but it’s going to be his next bout that gives him the opportunity to prove that it wasn’t a fluke or the product of a stylistic mismatch.

The first (and perhaps best) option for the new champion is to go ahead and run back this fight. Regardless of how fair it is, O’Malley is a well-known star in the sport and fighters with his marketability are usually afforded multiple opportunities.

It would allow Dvalishvili a nice payday against a fighter he knows well and is the most well-known fighter in the division.

Umar Nurmagomedov isn’t a household name, but his last name is. Umar is the cousin of UFC great Khabib Nurmagomedov and he’s on the cusp of making a name for himself as the No. 2-ranked fighter in the division coming into this weekend.

Dvalishvili has already called a matchup with Nurmagomedov “easy”, but it would likely be a toss up and a completely different matchup than the one that the new champion just won.

Deiveson Figuieredo has to be mentioned too. He has gone 3-0 with wins over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon “Chito” Vera since moving up to the bantamweight division.

O’Malley’s Next Best Fight2 of 2

Henry CejudoChris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Rematch with Merab DvalishviliHenry CejudoYadong SongImmediate title fight rematches are typically reserved for longstanding champions. The ability to get right back into the front of the line for a title shot is a privilege that only the top champions usually have.

Even though Sean O’Malley only had one successful title defense, his star power might be enough get right back in the game. The organization has consistently pushed O’Malley and provided him with the matchmaking to become a star.

That might include an instant shot at redemption.

If O’Malley is forced to take another fight or two before jumping back into title contention then a bout against Henry Cejudo would do the trick. The former flyweight and bantamweight championship has been willing to engage in a war of words.

If we want to see what O’Malley can do with his wrestling defense after this loss then it would make sense to throw him in the cage with Henry Cejudo.

Song Yadong was on the fringe of the title picture in the division but picked up a loss against Petr Yan in his last bout. This would give O’Malley the ability to fight someone just below the top tier of the division to get right back into challenging for the title.