Sean O'malley fully expects to make history UFC 316 in his revenge match with Merab Dvalishvili.
The big beginnings of the UFC to the sphere of Las Vegas did not follow the O'malley in September, as He lost his title in a unanimous decision against Dvalishvili. The former UFC rooster weight champion has been vocal since the torn labrut he suffered 10 weeks from the night of combat; He was operated immediately and thinks he should probably not have fought. Before UFC 316, however, O'malley overthrew his point of view on the more positive side, considering his loss as an increase in the magnitude of the revenge match on June 7 in Newark, New Jersey.
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“There are two ways to go from loss,” said O'malley Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Show” by Non Couronne “ In his first public interview since the loss of Dvalishvili. “You can go up or down. I wanted to go up. The camp, all the fight did not go as planned, but I have the impression that it will make it even softer. I will be a massive outsider. People will not expect that I know that I am capable of June 7, so it will make it much softer.
“I had to wait until three and a half years, anyway, to prove that the first fight (Marlon) 'Chito' (Vera) was not the way he was supposed to be playing. This one, I did not have to wait so long, but I am delighted to go out and do something similar in the revenge match with Merab.”
As the largest star in the current Coqs weight division of the UFC, O'malley, 30, as champion felt as the best case of the promotion, but his reign was relatively short, because O'malley marked only one defense of a successful title in his revenge match in March 2024.
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If O'malley finds the title, he will join his colleagues Champions Dominick Cruz and Tj Dillashaw as only Coq weight titles several times in the history of the UFC. But the path – or its absence – at the second opportunity of O'malley embittered many fans, who described it as non -means of an immediate revenge match with Dvalishvili considering that O'malley has not fought since its loss.
O'malley avoided the noise by staying outside social networks in 2025, but he has a clear message for those who are upset by the fight.
“Don't look,” he said without.
“Saturday evening June 7, F *** ING Watch your reality TV show. Do not watch the fight.
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“I do (get the criticism), 100%,” added O'malley. “This last fight, I do not think that many people have returned and really come back, because it is not one of those fights which is worth being re-regard. I think the second time you look at it, you realize that it is a little closer than the first time you looked at it live.
“If they are not interested, do not look at it,” he concluded. “But when I go and win, I guarantee that people will see him again – or at least see the arrival, if there is a finish.”
O'malley said he thought he had reviewed the loss of Dvalishvili from the UFC 306 about five times in total, the last Rewatch to come last week. Two months of revenge at UFC 316, O'Malley already feels supremely prepared and promises that the rest will be very different.
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“I know I am able to beat Merab,” said O'malley. “I would not want this revenge match (otherwise). This last fight, it was close and it was not. The second and the fourth round were the turn he dominated. I won on the dashboard of the judges the third and the fifth round.
“I would not have wanted this fight, I would not have asked for this fight, I would not have accepted this fight if I did not know that I could go there and beat Merab.
“Today, this morning practice I had, I struck more today than I tackled the last combat camp for Merab,” he added. “I know (how) it sounds. We have done seven rounds of six minutes today, hard. Hard, hard. Choosing the hardest guys, just in grappling directly today. I could not do it once the last camp.”
Although O'Malley admits the obstacles that came with his defeat in title, he is not entirely pessimistic about performance. The former champion still believes that his combat camp for the Sphere card was great – just for what was physically able TO DO. He remembers feeling as well as possible, given his injury.
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But O'malley said he was “really” healthy now and hopes it will allow a long career. In a way, he has had a new lease on life from the UFC 306 and has the impression that everything works as it should be.
“As long as the body holds up, I would like to fight as long as possible,” said O'malley. “(Age) 37, 38, 40 – if I could (go) 40 healthy and always go there and win fights, I want to do it until the wheels fall, until I absolutely can't. I love this sport, I like competition.
