Sean O’Malley spars with another ex-UFC champion ahead of Merab Dvalishvili rematch

"Suga" will try to reclaim the UFC bantamweight belt on June 7.

(via Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley is bringing in as many big names as possible to prepare for his rematch with Merab Dvalishvili.

One of the biggest stars on the UFC roster, O’Malley claimed the bantamweight belt by stopping Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 before he successfully defended it in a rematch with Marlon Vera at UFC 299 and avenged what was his only professional loss up to that point.

The 30-year-old’s title reign ended at UFC 306 when he dropped a unanimous decision to Dvalishvili, but now “Suga” is preparing to try and reclaim his belt when the pair meet for a second time in the main event of UFC 316 next month.

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Sean O'Malley lost a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. | Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

O'Malley Spars With Israel Adesanya Before UFC 316

O’Malley recently spent some time working with retired UFC and ONE Championship titleholder Demetrious Johnson ahead of UFC 316, and now the UFC star has also posted some sparring footage with former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya on his YouTube channel.

Currently the UFC’s #4-ranked middleweight contender, Adesanya is a two-time middleweight champion and successfully defended the 185 lbs. belt five times during his first title reign after unifying the interim belt against Robert Whittaker at UFC 243.

Israel Adesanya (red gloves) fights Sean Strickland (blue gloves) during UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. | Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images

“The Last Stylebender” lost his belt to Alex Pereira in 2022 before reclaiming it in an immediate rematch, but the 35-year-old currently finds himself on the first losing streak of his MMA career after dropping three-straight fights to Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, and most recently Nassourdine Imavov.

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Dvalishvili Set For Second Title Defense

Adesanya’s time at the top of the middleweight division was largely defined by his ability to keep fights standing in order to punish opponents with his world-class striking, which is something O’Malley will have to emulate if he wants to get revenge against Dvalishvili on June 7.

Merab Dvalishvili (red gloves) celebrates after winning a UFC bantamweight title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov (not pictured) during UFC 311. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Following an 0-2 start to his UFC career, “The Machine” has put together an incredible 12-fight win streak that includes victories over former UFC titleholders Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and O’Malley.

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Dvalishvili successfully defended the bantamweight title against the formerly-undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, and the 34-year-old will undoubtedly try to overwhelm O’Malley with his high-paced style once again when the pair rematch at UFC 316.

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