Merab Dvalishvili reveals most likely next opponent, addresses potential conflict with teammate Patchy Mix
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Merab Dvalishvili got drawn into an unexpected rematch against Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 largely because no other top contender had emerged in the bantamweight division but that shouldn't be the case after Saturday night is finished.
Since it was announced that O'Malley was getting the immediate rematch without winning another fight after falling to Dvalishvili this past September, new challengers have started making noise including perennial threat Cory Sandhagen after he beat Deiveson Figueiredo in May. While Sandhagen has constantly stood on the precipice of a title shot in the past, his latest win coupled with the fact that he's never faced Dvalishvili before probably puts him at the top of the list for who's got next.
"Right now, clear contender looks like it's Cory Sandhagen, especially [because] we never fought each other," Dvalishvili said during UFC 316 media day. "He has a good style, a good fighter. He beat a lot of good guys in this division.
"I'm sure MMA fans want to see this fight. But most important is what the UFC wants. I am champion now and whoever the UFC will give me, I will fight the next contender, the next best guy in the division."
Sandhagen sports a 4-1 record in his past five fights with his only loss coming in a decision to Umar Nurmagomedov, who already fought and lost to Dvalishvili back in January. Given his resume and lack of history with Dvalishvili in the past, Sandhagen might slot right into a title shot if the Georgian born bantamweight wins at UFC 316.
Another potential challenger could also rocket near the top of the list on Saturday when former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix makes his long awaited UFC debut.
Mix faces Mario Bautista in a pivotal bout between a pair of 135-pounders with a combined 14-0 record in their past 14 fights and the winner probably takes a dramatic leap forward in the division.
That said, Mix also has a relationship with Dvalishvili after the bantamweights spent a lot of time training together over the past few years. At the time, Mix was in a completely different organization so there was no conflict but now he's signed with the UFC and gunning to become champion while Dvalishvili is holding the title.
While they are teammates and friends, Dvalishvili promises he's not running into another situation like he shared with Aljamain Sterling when they refused to fight each other when they were both near the top of the division.
"Patchy Mix is a great fighter," Dvalishvili said. "Yes, we're training a lot [together]. He's one of the best and I respect him. I'm happy for him he's in the UFC right now. I wish him all the best. It's good for the UFC, good for the division we have another top fighter in this division. It's good. He told me he was coming to the UFC and we talked about this and we are cool, we are friends, we are training together.
"It's not the same as it was between me and Aljo. If the time comes, we will fight each other. It's nothing personal. He's fighting for his family, I'm fighting for my family and my team. That's all good. I wish him good luck in his fight and hopefully I'm going to win this fight against Sean O'Malley and we'll see from there."
One other name that got brought up to Dvalishvili was current flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, who has teased a potential move up to bantamweight in the future.
Right now, Pantoja has his own test awaiting him at UFC 317 when he faces Kai-Kara France in the co-main event but if the Brazilian ever feels like jumping to a new division, the reigning champion is happy to greet him.
"Yes, he's a respectful champion," Dvalishvili said about possibly fighting Pantoja. "If he moves up and the UFC and lets him fight for the belt, no problem. I'm a champion now. I'll fight whoever the UFC choose for me to fight."
First things first, Dvalishvili has to get through O'Malley a second time and he's more than ready to do that, especially now that he's fighting a healthy and fully focused challenger.
"He should be 70 percent better because he quit a lot of stuff," Dvalishvili said about O'Malley. "He quit social media, he quit smoking weed and I'm sure he was more focused on wrestling, getting better knockout power. I want to test all of that. I'm ready for the best version of Sean O'Malley."
