Sean O’Malley will soon have his shot at redemption, and he’s promised UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili that he’ll be facing an entirely different beast come fight night.
UFC CEO Dana White announced a few high-profile bouts this week, including the title rematch between Dvalishvili and O’Malley following their five-round battle inside the Sphere last September.
The decision has caused debate in the MMA community, with some questioning why “Suga” has been granted an immediate opportunity in his return from injury given his short reign and one-sided defeat to “The Machine.”
But during the latest episode of his TimboSugarShow alongside coach Tim Welch, O’Malley expressed confidence in delivering a much better performance second time around, having overcome the injury he fought through in Las Vegas seven months ago.
“Dude, I am so excited for this fight. My body, my body has not felt like this since I fought Petr Yan. Since I fought Petr, my body hasn’t felt this good since 2022. It’s 2025 now. I fought Aljo (Aljamain Sterling), I fought ‘Chito’ (Marlon Vera), I fought Merab, just dealing with little (injuries)…and I’m not saying I’m the only one. Every fighter’s dealing with something, but I haven’t felt this good.
“I’m going to be 70 percent better than I was in that first fight,” Sean O’Malley said. “I’m going to be significantly more mobile, agile, better shape. I’m gonna fight at my full potential.”
