Hot Tub Truce!
03/07/2025 11:03 PM
You may be enemies in the cage but everyone's cool when you're in a jacuzzi together in the UFC Performance Institute.
The UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas continues to generate interesting moments as fierce rivals end up training feet apart ... and sometimes end up becoming friends in a hot tub?
Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili had a heated lead-up to their fight at UFC 316 that saw "The Machine" take "Suga's" bantamweight belt via unanimous decision. Things got so nasty between the two camps that Dvalishvili threatened to throw down with O'Malley's coach should they run into each other in Sin City.
Things are cooler now even though it looks like Merab's next fight will be the "Suga" rematch. The two ran into each other at the UFC PI and ended up taking some pics and sharing some complimentary words.
"Ready to go again?" O'Malley asked in a video on his social media. "Your last fight was impressive, you looked good, that was a fun fight to watch."
"When we gonna fight, I know you hit hard and then I know you're gonna change plan," Dvalishvili replied.
"I only had one hip last time," O'Malley said. "I got the both hips now. Yeah, I got both hips."
"I'm gonna use my striking," Merab said and when O'Malley laughed he added, "You think I won't? You think I'm not? Look what I did to Umar. It was striking."
"I know!" O'Malley replied. "It was like what the hell? I didn't know you could do that."
Sean O'Malley to Merab Dvalishvili: "I'd Say Good Luck, But I Hope You Have Bad Luck"
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) March 8, 2025
@SugaSeanMMA#UFC#MMApic.twitter.com/y8qPtIMLCo
The two parted ways with a well-natured O'Malley joke.
"I would say good luck," he said. "But no. I hope you have bad luck."
O'Malley hasn't fought since the Dvalishvili loss. Immediately after he underwent surgery to fix an injured hip, and has since sworn off online life as he prepares to try and win his belt back. Merab kicked off 2025 with a win over Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, and sounds eager to get back to action sometime in the summer.
Will the peace between Sean and Merab hold, or are things going to get mean again once their rematch is announced? Let us know in the comments below how you think a second fight will go.
