What’s next for Merab Dvalishvili? – UFC 306 matchmaker
And new! Merab Dvalishvili dominated fan-favorite Sean O’Malley last night in the main event of UFC 306. The win captured the bantamweight title for the Georgian standout and almost immediately, fans and pundits alike started looking to the future. What’s next for the Ray Longo champion? Let’s look at the options.
The clear choice: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Umar Nurmagomedov is the clear number one contender. Plus, Merab Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov will be an insanely fun fight for fans of grappling.
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Merab Dvalishvili is way more fun than the O’Malley fight.
— Blaine Henry (@BlaineHenryTFL) August 3, 2024
Umar Nurmagomedov is coming off of his career-best win over Cory Sandhagen just a month ago. Now with the bantamweight division somewhat sorted out, it seems like a clash between the Georgian and Russian seems to be imminent.
This fight may be the most fun and puts the Dagestani Dynasty to the test. Aside from Islam Makhachev’s first fight with a young Arman Tsarukyan, the Dagestani from that camp (Islam, Khabib, Umar) have been relatively untested against a stout wrestler like Dvalishvili. Put the reputation to the test.
The fifth straight champion: Deiveson Figueiredo
Merab Dvalishvili has other plans seemingly. He’s hinted several times at a potential matchup with former two time champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Dvalishvili has beat Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo and now Sean O’Malley in subsequent fights. He may be working to fight fifth ranked Figueiredo to keep that streak alive.
Merab Dvalishvili lays out his dream scenario for his first title defense:
"[Deiveson Figueiredo] would be a fifth champion on my list. … Maybe [Umar Nurmagomedov] against Petr Yan." pic.twitter.com/C9qB8fLfo3
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) September 15, 2024
It’s not the right choice, but it’s one that does make sense. Ignoring Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili has done enough in the top of the division. He’s just dominated O’Malley. He beat Petr Yan convincingly. Cory Sandhagen, who is a former interim title challenger, is coming off of a loss. Figueiredo is the next option.
Run it back?
The least interesting option is to run it back against Sean O’Malley. You would have to take Umar Nurmagomedov and Deiveson Figueiredo out back and tie them up just to prevent riots. But the logic lies in where the UFC’s priorities are.
The brass wanted Sean O’Malley to be a star badly. The promotional push was real. If they can convince fans that Umar and Figueiredo aren’t the top contender and it is, instead, O’Malley, they can give O’Malley a chance at redemption and to win his title back.
This option is the least interesting and the least fair. Both Nurmagomedov and Figueiredo have done more than enough to earn their shot and would have done so if O’Malley won. With how one sided the fight with Merab Dvalishvili was, it is also the least interesting.
