Dvalishvili Delays Rematch to Give O’Malley Recovery Time

Las Vegas, Nevada — UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has confirmed he delayed his rematch against Sean O'Malley to provide the challenger ample time for recovery. The two fighters are set to meet at UFC 316 on June 6, following Dvalishvili’s previous victory over O’Malley at UFC 306.

Dvalishvili, who has defended his title twice in just nine months, revealed to MMA Knockout that he could have fought O’Malley in early April in Miami. However, he chose to accept a later date in June, providing O’Malley with more time to prepare after his surgery.

‘They [UFC] was willing to give me a fight in April,’ Dvalishvili said. ‘I said New Jersey because this time O’Malley has more time to recover from surgery.’

This rematch takes on added urgency as O’Malley previously fought through a torn labrum against Dvalishvili, which some fans believe affected his performance. Dvalishvili emphasized, ‘Yes, I want to fight the best version of O’Malley.’ He hopes this fight will be free from injuries for both fighters.

Sean O’Malley’s transformation is noteworthy this time around. His coach, Tim Welch, recently disclosed that O’Malley has cut out social media and marijuana from his life in preparation for UFC 316.

Welch mentioned on the Ariel Helwani Show, ‘He just completely quit the weed and completely got off Instagram, Snapchat and X.’ O’Malley aims to regain his title after losing it and believes these changes have made him more mentally prepared for battle.

As fight night approaches, both champions and fans are eager for this high-stakes rematch, with O’Malley looking to reclaim his bantamweight title from Dvalishvili.