"A bad matchup" - Robert Whittaker fears for Merab Dvalishvili if he faces Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili is a potential matchup with a few stylistic hurdles in the eyes of Robert Whittaker.

On a recent installment of MMArcade Podcast, the former UFC middleweight champion was recapping UFC 299, where O'Malley made the first defense of his bantamweight belt. 'Suga' Sean put on a clinical performance and earned a dominant win on points over the only man to have previously beat him in pro-MMA, Marlon 'Chito' Vera.

In discussing a possible next challenge for O'Malley's 135-pound gold in number one ranked contender Merab Dvalishvili, Whittaker said:

"I think Merab and Sean are a bad matchup. I think Sean's spacing and just his creativity. Not to mention, Sean has the entire skillset, the entire arsenal. If you think he's not going to be working straight line attacks like that lead knee he did against Vera. He threw it in what, the third or the fourth?"

"He threw it in the third and that was only after he saw Vera shelling up and putting his head down. That was an adjustment on the move. If you don't think he's gonna be working things like that for Merab, you're kidding yourself."

"Not to mention like Sean found the timing slot against [Aljamain] Sterling who is phenomeal I think. In that division just how good he is. I think it's gonna be a hard fight but in saying that, Merab doesn't go away. He sticks to you like a rash."

Check out the odds on a prospective bout between O'Malley and Dvalishvili below

---

Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 299 run in

The 29-year-old actually crossed paths with Dvalishvili shortly after the aforementioned title defense. O'Malley had sunglasses on while walking through the backstage area, and the top-ranked bantamweight contender made his presence known backstage.

Merab Dvalishvili was there to weigh in as the backup fighter for Sean O'Malley vs 'Chito' Vera II. He was then in the crowd during the event when both fighters made championship weight.

During the exchange between the champion and his possible next title challenger, Dvalishvili quipped:

"You should mention my name"

To that, Sean O'Malley retorted:

"Oh s***, I didn't even know who that was."

The Montana native addressed the run-in at the UFC 299 post-fight press conference as the interaction transpired between the fight ending and the champ's post-fight press conference appearance.

Sean O'Malley claimed not to have known that this was Dvalishvili he was speaking to during this exchange.