"That was so mean" - Sean O'Malley's brutal backstage snubbing of Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 299 stirs fan frenzy on social media

Sean O'Malley defeated Marlon 'Chito' Vera to retain the bantamweight title via a unanimous decision at UFC 299 on Sunday. Following the bout, 'Suga' angled for the opportunity to become the fifth double champ in promotional history by calling out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.

Merab Dvalishvili approached the bantamweight champion backstage, saying (via MMAmania.com):

"Congratulations, but you should mention my name."

O'Malley ignored the No.1-ranked bantamweight, as he said:

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

Check out the interaction between Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili below:

@kevstuhh labeled the interaction as mean:

"nah that was so mean ☹️"

@immigatrion seconded that notion despite not being a fan of Dvalishvili:

"ong i felt bad for merab and i don’t even like the guy😭😂"

@varietyspeaker believes Dvalishvili will get his revenge:

"Merab will get him back for that one"

@Joshuad01569355 predicted that 'The Machine' will dominate O'Malley en route to becoming the new bantamweight champion:

"O’Malley is getting 50-44 by Merab"

@OmNi_Blaze claimed that it was O'Malley's funniest moment:

"This is Unironically the funniest thing Sean has ever done and I feel bad for Merab cuz he was legit just tryna be a nice guy 😂"

@dadrobe8 suggested that 'Suga' is running from the bout:

"Sean can’t run forever 😂😂😂"

@RamyGendy revealed that O'Malley reminded them of Henry Cejudo:

"This gives me Henry cringe vibes"

@MoicanosBurnerr believes that the bantamweight champion may have been dealing with an injury that led to his response:

"Sean is definitely full of himself but I’ll give him pass on this he was hurt from the fight probably wanted to keep it pushing"

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Ilia Topuria claims Sean O'Malley must face Merab Dvalishvili first

Following his dominant shutout performance over Marlon 'Chito' Vera, Sean O'Malley revealed his intentions of pursuing double champ status by facing Ilia Topuria. Speaking to Joe Rogan in the octagon after the bout, 'Suga' said (via Eurosport):

"Dana, get me a jet to Spain, baby, I'm coming for Ilia Topuria and if he doesn't want it - nah, f**k it, I want Ilia, baby, give me Ilia... He's a scary f**king dude. Ilia excites me. Going up a weight class excites me, but honestly I'm here for whatever. If you guys want me to knock out Merab, I'll do that too, but Ilia's an exciting fight for the people."

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments on facing Ilia Topuria below:

Topuria, who is good friends with Merab Dvalishvili, responded on X, claiming that O'Malley must first face the No.1-ranked bantamweight:

"Suga, congrats.. Was a beautiful performance! There is a fight chasing you with Merab.. Get that done first ."

Check out Ilia Topuria's response to Sean O'Malley below:

Dvalishvili is on a ten-fight win streak and many believe that he deserved to face O'Malley in his first title defense. Instead, 'The Machine' faced Henry Cejudo at UFC 298, putting on a dominant performance against the former double champ and cementing his status as the top contender in the bantamweight division.