Merab Dvalishvili’s test will cement or destroy Sean O'Malley’s legitimacy as UFC bantamweight champ, claims ex-title holder

Cody Garbrandt believes Merab Dvalishvili will be a make-or-break test for Sean O'Malley's legitimacy as UFC champion.

'Sugar' is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Vera at UFC 299 last month. O'Malley dominated 'Chito,' and promptly called for a fight with Ilia Topuria. However, the bantamweight champion later changed his mind and called for a grudge match with 'The Machine.'

As of now, the two don't have a fight date but are expected to meet later this year. In the eyes of former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, it's a fight that will be an important one for 'Sugar.' That's mainly because 'No Love' isn't entirely sold on the current bantamweight titleholder.

Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, the former UFC champion previewed Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili. Garbrandt explained that this fight is the most important for the champion's career thus far, mainly because there are asterisks on O'Malley's prior wins.

The former champion opined:

"He didn't beat [Petr] Yan. So let's be honest, he was given that Aljo fight. I think Aljo just pushed, raced back to bantamweight. Those weight cuts took a toll on him... So, good on 'Sugar' Sean to be the champion, to beat Aljamain. Aljamain had a great run. The 'Chito' fight was so-so for me."

He continued:

"His first title defense, he went five rounds against a guy who gave him his first loss. But backstory is: 'Chito' didn't have the best camp, was injured going in. Who knows? I think this Merab fight is going to be interesting to see how legit 'Sugar' Sean is."

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Is there a history between Sean O'Malley and Cody Garbrandt?

Cody Garbrandt might be correct about Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, but he could be a bit biased.

'No Love', like the rest of the bantamweight division, is currently chasing after 'Sugar.' Garbrandt is scheduled to face Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300 on Saturday, in a fight that would catapult him up the 135-pound rankings.

It's not exactly a secret that Cody Garbrandt has wanted to face Sean O'Malley for a while now as well. The two stars previously fought on the main card of UFC 269 in December 2021.

Before fight night, 'No Love' and 'Sugar' faced off to promote a future bout between them. However, after Garbrandt was knocked out by Kai Kara-France at flyweight, the bout never happened.