Matchmaker Monday: Who is next for Merab Dvalishvili?
Merab Dvalishvili is on top of the world right now.
The Georgian champion is coming off of a career best win over Umar Nurmagomedov and defending his bantamweight title. Dvalishvili stole all of the talking points at UFC 311.
Traditionally, Matchmaker Monday is reserved for the main event winner. But given the nature surrounding Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan, it’s more intriguing to look at the other title fight that was on the card.
Run it back: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2
Merab Dvalishvili captured his title from Sean O’Malley, the superstar the UFC wanted to win badly. Dvalishvili dominated the fight and took the unanimous decision victory.
O’Malley hasn’t fought since that fight, which was September of last year. Before the fight, he claimed that he was next in line.
A rematch between Dvalishvili and O’Malley may not go any different than the first. But if the UFC wants to put that rivalry to rest, they can. Should Dvalishvili win, O’Malley will never haunt him again. If O’Malley wins, he gets a career best win over Merab Dvalishvili who is riding high after defeating Umar Nurmagomedov.
Another Rematch: Petr Yan
Merab Dvalishvili has nearly cleared out the division before he even captured the title. One of those wins on the way up was that of Petr Yan.
Yan drowned under the pressure of Dvalishvili. The win took Yan extremely off guard. But now Yan is back. Yan has defeated Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo in his last two fights. Figueiredo would have gotten the title shot should he have beaten Yan. He did not.
Petr Yan may not have looked good against Dvalishvili the first time. But he fares better than O’Malley in a hypothetical rematch.
The super fight: Alexandre Pantoja
Dare to be great? Alexandre Pantoja has cleared 125. He’s beat seven fighters in the top 15 of the UFC’s flyweight rankings. Some of them he beat multiple times.
Pantoja may be fighting Kai Kara-France yet, as the rumors go. But he’s hinted at a move north to fight Sean O’Malley. He’s since backtracked that. But the lure of a shot to become double champion is nearly irresistible.
Merab Dvalishvili and Alexandre Pantoja would be a proper super fight. Both fighters have title defenses and beat most of their division. This fight is as good as it can get.
