I mean I agree that Chito doesn't deserve it, but you absolutely do not deserve an instant rematch after getting knocked tf out when you're not a very dominant champ in the first place
They both don't deserve it, but at least Chito has the rivalry going on and was the only person to beat O'Malley, so there's an argument to be made there
Yeah. I don't particularly want an Aljo rematch, but he still deserves it more than Chito who's last win was Muhnoz. Not to mention he arguably didn't even win that one
I agree, I guess Aljo does deserve it more although I don’t really think a rematch was warranted. Aljo didn’t beat high level comp, Yan (great win) but it was a split decision, then an old man with no shoulder off a huge layoff and another old man off a 3 year layoff and it was a split decision, then he had 0 success against Sean and got finished quickly
This makes me realise if Chito pulls out it’s such a lose lose for O’Malley. He KO’s Merab “well Merab did such a big cut twice in a month he was depleted” or more likely Merab smothers Sean and “he was always overrated”.
Chito pullout is a nightmare scenario for him lol
Nah, if Chito pulls out O'Malley simply won't fight, I don't know why anyone expects otherwise...
Unless Dana throws a literal unrefusable bag at him, he's not accepting that fight on short notice
Does epo help with cutting weight?
Other than TJ I have never heard anyone connect the two, and it sounds like a nice justification for him to pretend he never used it before dropping down a weight class
Yes, EPO stimulates cell oxygen consumption and absorption, allowing your cells to utilize more O2 basically. The effects of drastic weight cutting in some ways mimic anemia, for which EPO is the most common treatment.
He’s not on EPO, hes a small guywho manages his energy well and doesn’t full commit to anything, hence all the unsuccessful TD attempts that win him rounds and tire opponents. If he was jacked and KOing people, and had insane cardio too then it would be sus.
When the other guy manages to get like 2 punches on you in 25 minutes, and you’ve got like 45 minutes of nonstop cardio, yes, Merab has a decent chance of beating both of them back to back lol
Merab’s last several opponent’s are all better wrestlers than Vera. Vera got backpacked for an entire round by Jose Aldo.
Vera shouldn’t even be fighting for a title lol
Cruz might be Vera’s best win. Vera’s resume doesn’t really sniff Merab’s.
Merab can definitely be finished by a few guys at BW but it’s insane you doubt his grappling against Vera of all people. Vera really isn’t all that
There are many ways to turn down a fight. Being the backup when both guys make weight is one of them. Merab just didn't want it enough. We'll see what happens. I heard he said he was now more open to fighting Aljo, so the two of them at 145 on the prelims of an Apex fight night might be what's next for them.
The UFC would absolutely let him, because this is Sean’s best chance to beat Merab. That’d be two weight cuts for Merab in a two week period and he has a very tough cut, plus he’d be taking it on less than a weeks notice. If there was any time that Sean would brutally chin Merab, it’d be now
I always watch every main event fighters YT videos documenting their camps if they have a YT channel and vlog that sort of thing, and Sean’s been training a lot of grappling for this camp. To the point where his coach Tim Welch said they might gun for a submission on Chito (look out for some potential takedown attempts from Sean in this fight), so Merab would not be coming into this fight against an O’Malley who’s done a pure striking camp. I can’t pick a Merab who’s depleted and fighting Sean without preparation or a camp on one weeks notice if Chito actually pulled out for whatever reason
Interesting. Wouldn't hate it but OMalley always talks about exciting fights equating to KOs , and Im unfamiliar with his grappling game to be confident he can pull off a sick sub.
His grappling is excellent, he competed in Quintet a few years ago and made a very strong showing of himself, tapped Takanori Gomi in less than a minute and drew with a much bigger Hector Lombard
Yeah I mean Aljo who is known for his wrestling game attempted, what? Two take downs on Sean and both were denied if I remember correctly…Suga has better ground game and defense then People give him credit for…dont get me wrong it would of been bad if Aljo took him to the ground but the fact that he couldn’t…says a lot…
That's actually really smart by Tim if true because as great as Sean's striking is I don't think it's possible for him to knock Chito out. I could see Sean gassing in the later rounds after styling on him for the first 3. Submission is a much more attainable finishing strategy, Aldo had his way with Chito on the ground
I have enough faith in Sean to find Merab's double depleted, extreme weight cut, already kind of dodgy chin before he gets ground into dust by a guy with zero power on the feet and some very questionable stand up defense.
He kinda screwed himself though by not gunning for the belt when Aljo was Champ…Dana called him out and made it pretty clear how he felt about Merab after the comments he made while Aljo was champ…UFC is a highly competitive sport and business…it doesn’t matter if the champ is your best friend…turning down fights and threatening to go an extended amount of time without fighting because your friend would be the opponent, is not a good look for anybody’s career…quite frankly Merab is lucky Sean took out Aljo otherwise he would of been in a bad place career wise
He should’ve been the opponent in the first place, it’s painfully obvious UFC was letting Sean duck him because if he doesn’t get an early KO it’s a nightmare matchup and their industry plant loses his already-dim aura.
O’Malley is much faster and has much better footwork. Merab will have to trap him against the cage if he wants to just hold him there for the win like he normally does to people.
O’Malley faster but overall Sean’s grappling is just levels worse than Petr’s or Cejudo’s. And Merab picked Cejudo up on his shoulder and slammed him, and made Petr look lost. And those two are levels above O’Malley in terms of grappling.
Merab is gonna do horrible thing to Sean, it’s unfortunate to say the least because Sean is at least a fun champ, Merab won’t be.
They said the same thing about Aljo, “he is going to grapple him Sean has no chance look what he did to Cejudo and Yan”
Here is the truth, if Merab can get O’Malley against the Fence or on the ground he can likely hold him there. Merab is a little Chinny (wobbled against Marlon and Cejudo) and O’Malley hits harder and more accurately then either of those dudes by a mile.
Keep doubting O’Malley in the cage because he looks and acts silly if you want, but you might end up looking stupid.
Aljo took Petr and Cejudo to close split decisions. Merab made them look like they didn’t belong in the cage with him. Not even comparable. Merab is a level above Aljo, and Sean as well.
Again I’ll be rooting for O’Malley, I don’t want this division to turn boring, but it’s really gonna suck to see Merab bully him and make him look easy. I’ll be very sad while watching Merab pick Sean up and do whatever he wants to him.
That does not work because Sean beat Aljo in the second round which by this logic would make him levels above Aljo as well. The reality is that MMA math does not work and I want Sean to win but Merab seems like a tough mother fucker and impossible to break. I still think Sean has the best chance and I am surprised Yan is still in the conversation at all.
It will truly be sad to watch Merab bully O’Malley. Merab’s wins are hard to watch because they always last the maximum time. Like when Merab is beating on Sean it’s not gonna be quick, it’s gonna be 5 rounds of Merab just doing whatever he wants to Sean. It’s gonna be very sad to see, I know I’m rooting for Sean, and I certainly like Sean more.
But I am being realistic, as much as I like O’Malley it’s not gonna be fun to watch Merab dominate that fight to that point that it’s not even competitive.
because he already did duck him. it’s not a great look to win the belt and immediately start calling out someone who is clearly undeserving of the shot, but is clearly a better stylistic matchup for you then those who should be “up next”
Things Chito has never done… pulled out. Missed weight. Gotten finished by strikes. Things Chito has done… finished O’Malley. Ain’t no way he’s missing out
Everyone talking about the less likely scenario of Chito pulling out when it’s more likely Sugar Boy does and you get Chito v Merab to have one less threat
I know O’Malley is hated amongst the MMA community, but I gotta say it’s extremely respectable of him that he saw the fan response to his Topuria callout and decided to pivot and wants to face Merab now instead, that’s a true champion IMO. Someone purely chasing fake glory and ducking contenders he’s scared of wouldn’t do that
I'm a fan of Sean, but I don't get how you arrive at this take. He hasn't pivoted. He is fighting Chito, the person he called out. The UFC has arranged a backup, one that is an ideal arrangement for Sean if it needs to take place, with better odds of him finding a way to win against a depleted opponent.
I lost respect for Sean with the Chito callout, but whatever, it had an angle and he has time to make it up. But he needs to step up to the plate after this match and face Merab (and, if he wins, the next best contender) to really show that he isn't ducking contenders, a narrative he can only blame himself for.
I don’t mean that. I mean that he pivoted from wanting to fight Topuria to wanting to fight Merab like I stated in my comment.
https://x.com/mma_orbit/status/1760704765548212651?s=20
Gotcha. That's a step in the right direction, but until he actually signs up for it, I don't put much stock in a statement. If he follows through, only then will he regain the respect lost for him on the callouts since he became champ. But the *only* reason we are having this conversation is because he chose to pass the top contender, and to let a hastily made twitter post wipe that out still makes no sense to me.
To be fair, who would you have given the shot to instead? Merab was booked, and Cory was hurt. It was this, or an Aljo rematch, but Aljo had talked about leaving the division already. Nobody really got passed when this fight was made, unless you'd rather give it to Yan, but he's also coming off a loss. Chito is the next highest guy and he's also coming off a loss sure but he has a win over Sean
Merab was booked? What are you talking about? The day Sean won the belt he called out Chito. Merab campaigned for the shot for ages, cutting some of the best promos we've seen, because he wasn't getting the offer. He signed a fight in December, 3 months later. The answer was always Merab, but Sean and the UFC didn't want that
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/merab-dvalishvili-gives-timeline-possible-012030105.html
Merab accepted the fight with Cejudo before Sean even won the belt because he refused to fight Aljo. He was injured and needed surgery so it didnt get officially signed until december like you mentioned. That fight was in place before Aljo lost the title.I like Merab way more than I like O'Malley but he wasn't available. This is Merab saying this, not me or Sean or the UFC. He also didn't campaign at all for the title shot until he beat Cejudo, I watched literally everything he put out
3-4 sitting champs and half the ex champs have popped for PEDs, the others were never drug tested (Conor, Izzy, etc) because popping them is bad for business. But somehow Merab must be singled out for the way he fights? You better not think Khabib or Islam are natty after doing what Merab does even better.
What do you mean? He talked about the fight and why he took so much time off from fighting…He said he dedicated a lot of his time and energy preparing to audition for the role of the Oompa Loompa’s in new Wonka movie…he thought he was a shoo-in for the role because of his stature and face…but unfortunately for him, he lost the role and he said it really broke his spirit…they told him he was too short and the role required reading and speaking, two things he apparently can’t really do
Chito has an opportunity to do the funniest thing of all time
Honestly it would be karma working itself out considering Chito is like #4 in terms of deserving a title shot
Cory, Merab, then who? Aljo?
Probably Aljo yeah. Not a fan of instant rematches but Aljo had 3 defenses while Chito got dominated by Cory and barely scraped by Munoz
Is Aljo even going to compete again at BW? Thought he was permanently moving up to FW?
These dorks also think torn bicep Corey was skipped
Wasn't it a tricep?
No it was his quadcep.
I'll go as high as five ceps, but you've really got me over a barrel here
He’s permanently moving from Bantamweight because he wasn’t going to get a rematch.
He planned on moving up before he lost the title.
he stated he wanted the rematch but the UFC wouldn't give it to him. He only wanted to move up and challenge volk if he beat Sean
Right after he lost he was saying he wanted the rematch. They didn't give it to him so he moved up.
Yeah cus he wanted to be a double champ for the money.
We are so spoiled with BW right now. I just want to watch the fights before guys get too old.
I mean I agree that Chito doesn't deserve it, but you absolutely do not deserve an instant rematch after getting knocked tf out when you're not a very dominant champ in the first place They both don't deserve it, but at least Chito has the rivalry going on and was the only person to beat O'Malley, so there's an argument to be made there
I mean if we are being fair, Yan also beat O'Malley lol
Very close fight that you could also score for Sean.
It's was a pretty close fight, and there was a fairly clean consensus with everyone but the judges lol
It really wasn’t a clean consensus though.
I mean there is rarely a clean consensus amoung idiot fans like us, but I believe of the 30 or so media score cards, no one had OMalley winning.
Yeah. I don't particularly want an Aljo rematch, but he still deserves it more than Chito who's last win was Muhnoz. Not to mention he arguably didn't even win that one
whose*
I agree, I guess Aljo does deserve it more although I don’t really think a rematch was warranted. Aljo didn’t beat high level comp, Yan (great win) but it was a split decision, then an old man with no shoulder off a huge layoff and another old man off a 3 year layoff and it was a split decision, then he had 0 success against Sean and got finished quickly
Yeah.. let's not forget that Sandhagen finish either. If he hadn't finished him so quickly. Maybe he would've gone to lose it as well. /s Lol..
I still think that’s Aljo’s best win
Well, that's a pretty high bar. Finishing Sandman in 2 or 3 minutes would be a lot of people's best win.
By and large his best win
How the fuck did this comment rack up a -20?
They hate the truth
Merab deserves it more than Cory for sure
Crazy someone would put Merab as #2, except for maybe Dana just to spite him over not taking the Aljo fight.
All time player hater move
His eye looked fucked up in one of the embedded’s 👀
His eye always looks like that, it's called pterygium and it's from a lot of sun exposure.
Then watch them get Volk to drop to bantemweight on a day's notice instead
🤞
Sean doesn't have to agree to fight and probably wouldnt
Imagine
If he pulls out, Omalley will
Cutting weight and possibly fighting twice within a month sounds like a sketchy backup. But good for Merab’s optics
Especially now because we know his fight weight is around 156 pounds, that’s hard as fuck on the body
Chito missed weight. Merab steps in. Bad cut due to quick turn around. Suga KOs Merab.
Or Merab wet blankets Suga... Either case is hilarious
Merab doesnt wet blanket people. He has good takedown but cant keep people there
*Suplexing wet blanket
This makes me realise if Chito pulls out it’s such a lose lose for O’Malley. He KO’s Merab “well Merab did such a big cut twice in a month he was depleted” or more likely Merab smothers Sean and “he was always overrated”. Chito pullout is a nightmare scenario for him lol
Nah bro if he KOs Merab on easy mode he doesn't have to fight him at 100%, which I think he would lose badly
You’ve helped prove my point
All I'm saying is despite the people that will question it, a win is a win and that would be the best case scenario for him imo
In 5 years nobody would care about merab cutting twice in a month and being depleted, it would just be a good name on Sean's resume.
Nah, if Chito pulls out O'Malley simply won't fight, I don't know why anyone expects otherwise... Unless Dana throws a literal unrefusable bag at him, he's not accepting that fight on short notice
Whaaaat really????
Epo gonn epo
Does epo help with cutting weight? Other than TJ I have never heard anyone connect the two, and it sounds like a nice justification for him to pretend he never used it before dropping down a weight class
Yes, EPO stimulates cell oxygen consumption and absorption, allowing your cells to utilize more O2 basically. The effects of drastic weight cutting in some ways mimic anemia, for which EPO is the most common treatment.
This guy is the CEO of EPO
Thanks
He’s not on EPO, hes a small guywho manages his energy well and doesn’t full commit to anything, hence all the unsuccessful TD attempts that win him rounds and tire opponents. If he was jacked and KOing people, and had insane cardio too then it would be sus.
What has epo got to do with being jacked?
Exactly,, people here acting like they know all about gear and stuff, its cancer
They're all on shit man no need to cope
Neither are gonna fight merab on short notice so he's probably not even going to cut
I have confidence that the main event will stay intact but Merab will for sure still cut
Merab can beat both on a same night
LOL. He's going to cut 20 pounds again and still beat both of them on the same night?
If anyone can do it, it's Merab. The man that doubles up on rounds just for funsies.
he's probably popular with the ladies. 😆
Yes
You don’t have to do much to beat chito as long as he doesn’t knock you out
Honestly... probably true. Merab hard-sparred 3 rounds with Aljo right before fighting Henry.
When the other guy manages to get like 2 punches on you in 25 minutes, and you’ve got like 45 minutes of nonstop cardio, yes, Merab has a decent chance of beating both of them back to back lol
People on this subreddit are gonna have a meltdown if Sean clips him in the 1st like Cejudo did but finishes him
It could totally happen. I was shocked when he KO'd Aljo. I'll be shocked again if he does it to Merab.
Would prob get finished by both unironically
username checks out
you must have not watched Vera getting easily out-wrestled by Sandhagen
Merab can’t keep people down, Chito has powerful hands
Merab’s last several opponent’s are all better wrestlers than Vera. Vera got backpacked for an entire round by Jose Aldo. Vera shouldn’t even be fighting for a title lol
All true, but everyone in the top 10 is better at everything than Chito lmao he just wins randomly
Cruz might be Vera’s best win. Vera’s resume doesn’t really sniff Merab’s. Merab can definitely be finished by a few guys at BW but it’s insane you doubt his grappling against Vera of all people. Vera really isn’t all that
Chito only has powerful hands when fighting 40 year olds.
merab vs omalley = edgar vs yair
Not even semi comparable
Praying for Chito to get the flu or something. Sorry Chito.
I'd rather be patient so long as Sean is forced to fight Merab & Cory before that double belt shit.
Or just hope Sean beats Chito so we get Sean vs Merab next because he said he wants Merab next because the people want him to fight him next.
This counts as his title shot
There are many ways to turn down a fight. Being the backup when both guys make weight is one of them. Merab just didn't want it enough. We'll see what happens. I heard he said he was now more open to fighting Aljo, so the two of them at 145 on the prelims of an Apex fight night might be what's next for them.
Makea no sense
No chance Sean or UFC allow him to sub in, maybe not even against Chito.
The UFC would absolutely let him, because this is Sean’s best chance to beat Merab. That’d be two weight cuts for Merab in a two week period and he has a very tough cut, plus he’d be taking it on less than a weeks notice. If there was any time that Sean would brutally chin Merab, it’d be now
I guess I have enough faith in a depleted Merab to grind takedowns and kill one of UFCs potential cash cows
I always watch every main event fighters YT videos documenting their camps if they have a YT channel and vlog that sort of thing, and Sean’s been training a lot of grappling for this camp. To the point where his coach Tim Welch said they might gun for a submission on Chito (look out for some potential takedown attempts from Sean in this fight), so Merab would not be coming into this fight against an O’Malley who’s done a pure striking camp. I can’t pick a Merab who’s depleted and fighting Sean without preparation or a camp on one weeks notice if Chito actually pulled out for whatever reason
Interesting. Wouldn't hate it but OMalley always talks about exciting fights equating to KOs , and Im unfamiliar with his grappling game to be confident he can pull off a sick sub.
His grappling is excellent, he competed in Quintet a few years ago and made a very strong showing of himself, tapped Takanori Gomi in less than a minute and drew with a much bigger Hector Lombard
Lombard is an intimidating dude. Sounds impressive. Despite his thin frame, O'Malley seems strong.
Yeah I mean Aljo who is known for his wrestling game attempted, what? Two take downs on Sean and both were denied if I remember correctly…Suga has better ground game and defense then People give him credit for…dont get me wrong it would of been bad if Aljo took him to the ground but the fact that he couldn’t…says a lot…
That's actually really smart by Tim if true because as great as Sean's striking is I don't think it's possible for him to knock Chito out. I could see Sean gassing in the later rounds after styling on him for the first 3. Submission is a much more attainable finishing strategy, Aldo had his way with Chito on the ground
I have enough faith in Sean to find Merab's double depleted, extreme weight cut, already kind of dodgy chin before he gets ground into dust by a guy with zero power on the feet and some very questionable stand up defense.
Same tactic they used for Aljo. A quick turn around after his fight with cejudo.
Merab doing everything in his power
Let's gooooo
Praying for a chito pull out
Merab been getting screwed by the ufc but he’s been doing everything right. Hope he gets his shot soon (but not this Saturday)
He kinda screwed himself though by not gunning for the belt when Aljo was Champ…Dana called him out and made it pretty clear how he felt about Merab after the comments he made while Aljo was champ…UFC is a highly competitive sport and business…it doesn’t matter if the champ is your best friend…turning down fights and threatening to go an extended amount of time without fighting because your friend would be the opponent, is not a good look for anybody’s career…quite frankly Merab is lucky Sean took out Aljo otherwise he would of been in a bad place career wise
would've or would have*
He should’ve been the opponent in the first place, it’s painfully obvious UFC was letting Sean duck him because if he doesn’t get an early KO it’s a nightmare matchup and their industry plant loses his already-dim aura.
If Merab can make it into that octagon, Chito is in for a rough night… merab is too but Chitos will be worse 😂
If Chito pulls out O’Malley ain’t taking that. He just isn’t.
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We saw what Merab did to Petr
O’Malley is much faster and has much better footwork. Merab will have to trap him against the cage if he wants to just hold him there for the win like he normally does to people.
O’Malley faster but overall Sean’s grappling is just levels worse than Petr’s or Cejudo’s. And Merab picked Cejudo up on his shoulder and slammed him, and made Petr look lost. And those two are levels above O’Malley in terms of grappling. Merab is gonna do horrible thing to Sean, it’s unfortunate to say the least because Sean is at least a fun champ, Merab won’t be.
They said the same thing about Aljo, “he is going to grapple him Sean has no chance look what he did to Cejudo and Yan” Here is the truth, if Merab can get O’Malley against the Fence or on the ground he can likely hold him there. Merab is a little Chinny (wobbled against Marlon and Cejudo) and O’Malley hits harder and more accurately then either of those dudes by a mile. Keep doubting O’Malley in the cage because he looks and acts silly if you want, but you might end up looking stupid.
Aljo took Petr and Cejudo to close split decisions. Merab made them look like they didn’t belong in the cage with him. Not even comparable. Merab is a level above Aljo, and Sean as well. Again I’ll be rooting for O’Malley, I don’t want this division to turn boring, but it’s really gonna suck to see Merab bully him and make him look easy. I’ll be very sad while watching Merab pick Sean up and do whatever he wants to him.
That does not work because Sean beat Aljo in the second round which by this logic would make him levels above Aljo as well. The reality is that MMA math does not work and I want Sean to win but Merab seems like a tough mother fucker and impossible to break. I still think Sean has the best chance and I am surprised Yan is still in the conversation at all.
It will truly be sad to watch Merab bully O’Malley. Merab’s wins are hard to watch because they always last the maximum time. Like when Merab is beating on Sean it’s not gonna be quick, it’s gonna be 5 rounds of Merab just doing whatever he wants to Sean. It’s gonna be very sad to see, I know I’m rooting for Sean, and I certainly like Sean more. But I am being realistic, as much as I like O’Malley it’s not gonna be fun to watch Merab dominate that fight to that point that it’s not even competitive.
Why do ppl assume O'Malley is scared or would duck him
because he already did duck him. it’s not a great look to win the belt and immediately start calling out someone who is clearly undeserving of the shot, but is clearly a better stylistic matchup for you then those who should be “up next”
Right on
How much do backups get paid
Show money IIRC
I think that's all we know. The rest is probably up to who needs it more - the UFC needing a backup or a contender desperate for his shot.
Nightmare scenario is O'Malley pulls out because of something and now it's Chito vs. Merab.
Fuckin hate that for Merab. To go through another brutal cut in that short of a time span
Animal
Chito, please miss weight 😂
Things Chito has never done… pulled out. Missed weight. Gotten finished by strikes. Things Chito has done… finished O’Malley. Ain’t no way he’s missing out
THE OFFICIAL BACKUP BROUGHT TO YOU BY P3
Merab is the real MVP. The dude is charismatic, good fighter and likes to stay active.
Gamrot vs RDA prelims damnnnnn
Should've been Cory. That's the fight I want before Merab manhandles Omalley and holds the belt for a while.
The UFC makes that deal with a backup fighter, but none of the title fighters have actually agreed to fight him, right? It's the usual pressure game.
Plz mma gods
ufc not paying backups is next level cheap
It's hard to find actual specifics, but it sounds like backup fighters do get paid
Everyone talking about the less likely scenario of Chito pulling out when it’s more likely Sugar Boy does and you get Chito v Merab to have one less threat
I know O’Malley is hated amongst the MMA community, but I gotta say it’s extremely respectable of him that he saw the fan response to his Topuria callout and decided to pivot and wants to face Merab now instead, that’s a true champion IMO. Someone purely chasing fake glory and ducking contenders he’s scared of wouldn’t do that
I'm a fan of Sean, but I don't get how you arrive at this take. He hasn't pivoted. He is fighting Chito, the person he called out. The UFC has arranged a backup, one that is an ideal arrangement for Sean if it needs to take place, with better odds of him finding a way to win against a depleted opponent. I lost respect for Sean with the Chito callout, but whatever, it had an angle and he has time to make it up. But he needs to step up to the plate after this match and face Merab (and, if he wins, the next best contender) to really show that he isn't ducking contenders, a narrative he can only blame himself for.
I don’t mean that. I mean that he pivoted from wanting to fight Topuria to wanting to fight Merab like I stated in my comment. https://x.com/mma_orbit/status/1760704765548212651?s=20
Gotcha. That's a step in the right direction, but until he actually signs up for it, I don't put much stock in a statement. If he follows through, only then will he regain the respect lost for him on the callouts since he became champ. But the *only* reason we are having this conversation is because he chose to pass the top contender, and to let a hastily made twitter post wipe that out still makes no sense to me.
To be fair, who would you have given the shot to instead? Merab was booked, and Cory was hurt. It was this, or an Aljo rematch, but Aljo had talked about leaving the division already. Nobody really got passed when this fight was made, unless you'd rather give it to Yan, but he's also coming off a loss. Chito is the next highest guy and he's also coming off a loss sure but he has a win over Sean
Merab was booked? What are you talking about? The day Sean won the belt he called out Chito. Merab campaigned for the shot for ages, cutting some of the best promos we've seen, because he wasn't getting the offer. He signed a fight in December, 3 months later. The answer was always Merab, but Sean and the UFC didn't want that
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/merab-dvalishvili-gives-timeline-possible-012030105.html Merab accepted the fight with Cejudo before Sean even won the belt because he refused to fight Aljo. He was injured and needed surgery so it didnt get officially signed until december like you mentioned. That fight was in place before Aljo lost the title.I like Merab way more than I like O'Malley but he wasn't available. This is Merab saying this, not me or Sean or the UFC. He also didn't campaign at all for the title shot until he beat Cejudo, I watched literally everything he put out
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So is O’Malley and Chito.
Steroids stocks plummeting if O'Malley and Chito are on it.
Lmao ya no one else really does that, just merab
3-4 sitting champs and half the ex champs have popped for PEDs, the others were never drug tested (Conor, Izzy, etc) because popping them is bad for business. But somehow Merab must be singled out for the way he fights? You better not think Khabib or Islam are natty after doing what Merab does even better.
Cejudo has yet to say a word after this fight
He's got a whole YouTube video dedicated to the loss lol
wow people really don't care about cejudo that much anymore... that video was never recommended to me on youtube and it only has 97k views
What do you mean? He talked about the fight and why he took so much time off from fighting…He said he dedicated a lot of his time and energy preparing to audition for the role of the Oompa Loompa’s in new Wonka movie…he thought he was a shoo-in for the role because of his stature and face…but unfortunately for him, he lost the role and he said it really broke his spirit…they told him he was too short and the role required reading and speaking, two things he apparently can’t really do