"He'll still get dog-walked" - Fans react to Sean O'Malley's health update on groin injury recovery ahead of Merab Dvalishvili rematch

Former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley has opened up about his groin injury that he suffered prior to his title defense fight against Merab Dvalishvili last year. 'Sugar' claims to be in much better shape ahead of their rematch.

O'Malley was defeated via unanimous decision at UFC 306, losing his belt as a result. He recently revealed that he entered the cage with a groin injury and a torn labrum. Although he managed to fight through it, the 30-year-old believes he will be 70% better in his rematch with Dvalishvili at UFC 316.

On his podcast, The TimboSugar Show, O'Malley said:

"My groin kept me up at night. Because I tore my labrum ten weeks before the fight, which is what we're at from the fight right now. I was having serious groin pain. It wasn't ideal. I was able to train, I was able to tough through it, but obviously it's not ideal to go into a fight."

He continued:

"I’m going to be 70% better than I was in that first fight. I’m going to be significantly more mobile, agile, better shape. I’m gonna fight at my full potential."

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments:

Fans quickly took to social media to troll O'Malley, with one writing:

"He'll still get dog walked by his owner Merab"

Others wrote:

"Full potential or not, he won't have enough conditioning to beat Merab."

"The fighters that make excuses for their losses, usually lose the rematch."

"You can see Merab earned his respect from him."

"Better be cause Merab looks unstoppable after his last fight."

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan comments [Screenshot courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

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Aljamain Sterling weighs in on Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is scheduled to face Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 in what will be his second title defense. O'Malley being handed the title shot is contentious, considering he's coming off a loss and only had one title defense during his championship reign.

Notably, Aljamain Sterling wasn't given an immediate rematch after losing the belt to 'Sugar'. However, Sterling is on board with his teammate Dvalishvili running it back with O'Malley, citing the latter's star power. 'Funk Master' wrote on X:

"Honest answer, the UFC’s gonna do what’s best for the business and the brand. Would I have liked an immediate rematch due to the circumstances going into the first fight? Absolutely. But I understand the business model better than most, and O’Malley is a really exciting guy that has beaten many top five contenders. So I think he rightfully deserves it after all the ranked names he has beaten."

Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below: