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There is no shortage of contenders in the 135-pound division in the UFC. However, bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley's bad blood with Marlon Vera has catapulted the Ecuadorian to a title shot. Suffice it to say many top contenders are unhappy with the matchup.
Vera is the only man to have beaten O'Malley in MMA, which the American has time and again brushed off as a fluke. At UFC 299, 'Sugar' will attempt to avenge his sole loss.
Although the duo's title fight is still months out, the build-up for the event has already begun. Their first face-off took place earlier this week at the UFC 295 media event in New York.
Still furious at having lost the title fight to Vera, No. 2 ranked bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili made sure to poke fun at the bantamweight champion.
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Reacting to a clip of the face-off, 'The Machine' made fun of Sean O'Malley's hair, likening it to Khabib Nurmagomedov's traditional headwear. He wrote on X:
"Hey Sean, give me my papaha back ! I will trade you the jacket…"
The 32-year-old is on a nine-fight win streak and holds wins over the likes of Petr Yan and Jose Aldo. 'The Machine' repeatedly claimed that he and his teammate - former champion Aljamain Sterling are more deserving of a title shot than Vera.
Merab Dvalishvili speculates why Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera was made
'The Machine' is disappointed with UFC for booking Marlon Vera against Sean O'Malley. Per Dvalishvili, 'Chito' does not deserve a title shot after going 1-1 in his last two.
During an interview with MMA Junkie, the Georgian expressed his frustration with the match-up, speculating that it has been made strictly for monetary reasons. He said:
"I feel very disappointed because 'Chito' Vera doesn't deserve this fight because he is 1 and 1 [in his last two]. Cory Sandhagen beat him, Jose Aldo beat him, I beat Jose Aldo... I'm the No. 1 contender for the title, or they should give the rematch [to] Aljamain Sterling, but I guess this is what it is. This is numbers now... I think the money wise [they made] the fight."
Catch Merab Dvalishvilli's comments on Marlon Vera below (0:36):
