Sean O’Malley is not a PPV star, claims UFC double champ after rumored Merab Dvalishvili title rematch

UFC superstar Henry Cejudo doesn't think Sean O'Malley should fight Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title again. 

Sean O’Malley is not a PPV star, claims UFC double champ after rumored Merab Dvalishvili title rematch

Henry Cejudo rejects Sean O'Malley fighting for bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili (via MMA Fighting)

Sean O’Malley‘s bantamweight title reign ended last year against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. Since then, the fighter has been desperately searching for his title rematch. While there is a chance that UFC might green-light the fight, Henry Cejudo doesn’t necessarily support the narrative. 

O’Malley as a fighter has been always accused of having the Dana White privilege. Since his days in the Contender Series, the UFC has frequently prompted him to become the next superstar. However, former double champion Henry Cejudo mentioned that O’Malley shouldn’t get the title shot. 

I think that’s stupid. It’s not like O’Malley is a pay-per-view king. His fights don’t do sh*t, man. I think the person that they should give him is Sandhagen….Sandhagen could potentially beat him. Sandhagen is tricky. I still think Merab beats him, but he has the tools to really shut out Merab’s freaking lights. 

Merab Dvalishvili via Home of Fight 
YouTube video

Cory Sandhagen was originally en route to fight for the bantamweight title potentially. However, Umar Nurmagomedov took the spot by defeating the American. Nurmagomedov failed against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311, which further solidified the Georgian reputation as the bantamweight king. 

At UFC 306, Dvalishvili absolutely destroyed O’Malley and left him helpless for five rounds. After the fight, ‘Suga’ has now fully focused on getting back the title and started working towards it. However, the ongoing beef between him and Henry Cejudo definitely has a lot of potential. 

When Sean O’Malley walked out of Henry Cejudo’s podcast 

Sean O’Malley and Henry Cejudo have a heated rivalry, with ‘Triple C’ calling Suga overrated and untested against elite competition. When Cejudo made his UFC return after three years of hiatus, he wanted to fight Sean O’Malley. Their online back-and-forth saw O’Malley mocking Cejudo’s height and retirement while claiming he’s the true face of the bantamweight division. 

The rivalry between Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili
The rivalry between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili (via X)

Both have since continued to trade insults, keeping fans excited for a potential clash inside the Octagon. Before UFC 306, ‘Suga’ was invited to be a part of Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman‘s podcast. During the conversation, O’Malley walked out just after a few seconds and explained it in his podcast. 

I did the Henry-Kamaru pod. Their team kept asking our team. I was like, ’You know what, I’ll do the pod. So, we go live. They say introduce yourself blablabla. I say boys, I’m a very busy man. I came here for two reasons. One to praise you Kamaru, you are an absolute legend and two, Henry, how did you let Aljo take you down? 

Sean O’Malley via the Timbo Sugar Show
YouTube video

Cejudo’s UFC comeback has not been that smooth, and he has now lost back-to-back fights. Currently, he is scheduled to take on Song Yadong at UFC Seattle and is planning to make a much-needed comeback. It would be interesting to see how the American fighter manages to get back his winning momentum.

Related: Henry Cejudo’s wife: Who is Ana Karolina and how did she meet the UFC superstar?