Sean O’Malley: ‘Ideally’ Merab Dvalishvili beats Umar Nurmagomedov and ‘I get the rematch’ next

Sean O’Malley believes a title shot should be next for him no matter who holds the bantamweight title after UFC 311, but he definitely has his preference of opponent.

Appearing at a pre-fight press conference ahead of RIZIN 49 this past Tuesday, O’Malley laid out his plans for the New Year with hopes of regaining the title he lost at UFC 306. On that night, O’Malley came up short and lost a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili, who is now scheduled to defend that belt against undefeated phenom Umar Nurmagomedov on Jan. 18.

“Ideally, Merab beats Umar and I get the rematch,” O’Malley said about what he’d like to see happen next. “But if Umar wins, it’ll be Umar. That’s what I want next is a title fight.

“Hopefully mid-next year. So the winner of that one. That fight’s coming up very, very soon.”

Following his loss to Dvalishvili in September, O’Malley revealed he fought with a torn labrum, which would require surgery and keep him out of action for a few months. While he’s hinted at potential return dates, the past Contender Series signing appears ready to call his shot for mid-2025, especially if he gets his wish for a title opportunity.

Prior to booking the fight against Nurmagomedov in January, Dvalishvili actually expressed interest in running it back with O’Malley in an immediate rematch, but the UFC shot down that idea. Instead, Nurmagomedov gets his opportunity to become UFC champion for the first time after amassing a perfect 6-0 record in the promotion, including a recent win over one-time interim title challenger Cory Sandhagen.

It’s safe to say O’Malley is keeping a close eye on Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov to kick off 2025 with plans to fight the winner later in the year.