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Sean O’Malley is ready to face the bantamweight division’s clear-cut No. 1 contender.

With Merab Dvalishvili riding a 10-fight win streak, it should come as a surprise to no one that a clash between he and reigning UFC champion O’Malley is in the cards. O’Malley recently avenged the lone loss of his career with a lopsided decision win over Marlon Vera at UFC 299, leaving the path clear for he and Dvalishvili to finally share the octagon.

Though O’Malley has flirted with the possibility of fighting featherweight champion Ilia Topuria or even dabbling in boxing, he stated plainly on his TimboSugarShow podcast that Dvalishili will be the opponent for his second title defense.

“Merab’s next,” O’Malley said. “Merab is f****** next. Your wish is granted.”

O’Malley has been a fan favorite and a well-promoted fighter since earning a UFC contract on the inaugural season of Dana White’s Contender Series. His dynamic striking style wowed Contender Series guest commentator Snoop Dogg, and the legendary rapper’s endorsement helped to guide O’Malley towards superstardom.

Currently one of the promotion’s most popular fighters, O’Malley would appear to have some leverage when it comes to picking fights, but he insists that avoiding a matchup with Dvalishvilli was never his plan.

“A lot of people said I’m ducking him — I just really am not ducking that little dude,” O’Malley continued. “I like the fight for me. There’s multiple ways to win. I’m excited about the fight now, finally. I was never ducking him, I was just never excited to fight him. He’s just such a, I don’t know — now, is it the right time?

“Like the ‘Chito’ rematch, the time will come where it’s the right time to fight certain people. Merab’s next, and be careful what you wish for, buddy.”

One reason why O’Malley might be hesitant to fight Dvalishvili is that the Georgian fighter is known for his relentless pace and wrestling, which could make him the perfect foil for the flashy O’Malley.

In preparation for Dvalishvili’s grappling, O’Malley joked that he may have to make a key change in training camp.

“I’m not even going to shadowbox, I’m going to ‘shadowwrestle,’” O’Malley said.

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After 20 years and multiple world titles, P4P great Demetrious Johnson continues to dominate the competition.

Johnson — who is tied for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history and still reigns as the ONE flyweight world champion — added some more gold to his trophy case at the 2024 IBJJF Pan Championships. Competing as a brown belt under Matt Hume and fellow ONE superstar Bibiano Fernandes, ‘Mighty Mouse’ took down three different opponents to stand atop the podium in the Master 2 featherweight division of the tournament.

Johnson also took home a silver medal in the openweight division where, according to a post from MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on X, his first opponent was 6’3″ and 250 pounds.

Demetrious Johnson Continues to Collect gold while mMA career hands in limbo

Demetrious Johnson’s last appearance inside the ONE Championship Circle came in May 2023 at ONE Fight Night 10 in Denver, Colorado. ‘Mighty Mouse’ successfully closed out his trilogy with former champion Adriano Moraes, retaining the promotion’s flyweight title with a decisive unanimous decision victory. Since then, DJ has left the door open for a return to ONE, but only if something truly intriguing comes along. Until then Johnson appears to be happy collecting gold medals at BJJ events around the country.

Check out some shots from Johnson’s dominant showing at the IBJJF Pans below:

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Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley defended his title for the first time at UFC 299 on March 9, defeating Marlon “Chito” Vera in a one-sided unanimous decision.  

With the win, O’Malley avenged the only loss on his record.  Vera defeated O’Malley in the first meeting at UFC 252 in August 2020.  Following the March 9 win, O’Malley called out newly crowned featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria.  

UFC CEO Dana White put the kibosh on any talk of O’Malley and Topuria fighting any time soon.  Instead, O’Malley will face top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili in his next title defense.   

“Merab is next.  Merab is f**king next.  Your wish is granted,” O’Malley said on the TimboSugarShow.  ” A lot of people said I’m ducking him.  I really am not ducking that little dude.  I like the fight for me.  There’s multiple ways to win.  I’m excited about the fight now, finally.  I was never ducking him.  I was just never excited to fight him.”  

“Now is the right time just like the ‘Chito’ rematch.  The time will come to where it’s the right time to fight certain people.  Merab is next, and be careful what you wish for buddy.”        

Dvalishvili (17-4) is riding a 10-fight winning streak and is ranked No. 1 in the division.  His last three wins have been over former UFC titleholders.  In his last outing, Dvalishvili defeated former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in one-sided fashion.  Before that, Dvalishvili won a lopsided decision over former champion Petr Yan after defeating former two-time featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo.  

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Igor Severino did not get paid for his UFC Vegas 89 bout with Andre Lima.

Severino’s purse was withheld by the Nevada Athletic Commission after he was disqualified for biting Lima in the second round of the preliminary-card bout at UFC APEX this past Saturday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The exact amount of Severino’s purse is unknown because the NAC does not publicly disclose salaries.

Severino faces a potential suspension and fine for his behavior at next month’s NAC meeting. Since his bite is without precedent in MMA, it’s unclear what the potential punishment could be. Mike Tyson was fined $ 3 million and his boxing license revoked after his infamous “bite-fight” where he repeatedly bit then-champ Evander Holyfield’s ear, tearing off a part of it.

UFC CEO Dana White initially indicated Severino faced repercussions from the NAC, which oversaw UFC Vegas 89. The UFC exec also announced Severino would be released from the UFC just one fight into a career that launched with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Despite taking a bite that left visible marks on his arm, Lima opined that Severino should be given another chance by the UFC. The winning fighter was in good spirits following the bizarre incident, so much so that he got a tattoo of the bite with the caption “I got f****** bit.” An impressed White later announced he would give Lima another $ 25,000 for the tattoo on top of the $ 25,000 for the bite.

Severino initially denied he bit Lima before cameras cut to Lima’s arm, which showed obvious bite marks. He has yet to comment publicly on the incident.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Islam Makhachev welcomes a fight with Dustin Poirier, but that doesn’t mean that “The Diamond” can say whatever he wants.

In a recent interview, Poirier responded to the lightweight champion mentioning Poirier as a possibility for his next title defense, saying that it’s the only fight he’s interested in right now. In selling himself as a challenger, Poirier added, “I’ve done more in the sport of mixed martial arts than he has. I’ve been around a long time. I was doing this before it was cool, and I’m still here — still here doing it at the highest level. I can beat anybody in the world, and I hope he’s next.”

Makhachev soon responded on social media, writing, “Dustin, if you could beat anybody, you’d be holding this belt right now, not me.”

At 25-1, not many have been able to say they’ve been able to get the better of Makhachev, with his lone loss coming via way of knockout at the hands of Adriano Martins back in October 2015. He dominated Charles Oliveira to capture the lightweight title at UFC 280 and has successfully defended it twice in back-to-back victories over then-featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.

Poirier’s list of accomplishments are impressive in their own right. The Louisiana native has knocked off contenders at both featherweight and lightweight, winning an interim lightweight title in April 2019 and twice challenging for the undisputed championship at 155 pounds. His UFC record stands at 22-7 (1 no-contest), with numerous Fight of the Night awards and highlight-reel finishes during that stretch.

He recently added to his legacy with a second-round knockout of the streaking Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299, which could set him up to challenge Makhachev at an event this summer.

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