Merab Dvalishvili is backing Sean O’Malley to beat Aiemann Zahabi at the UFC White House card, even after sharing a long rivalry with “Suga.”
Dvalishvili, the former UFC bantamweight champion and the first Georgian-born champion in UFC history, made the pick during a clip posted by Uncrowned from The Ariel Helwani Show. O’Malley is a former UFC bantamweight champion, while Zahabi is a Canadian UFC bantamweight and the younger brother of Tristar Gym head coach Firas Zahabi.
Dvalishvili picked O’Malley because he expects the fight to stay on the feet.
“I like Zahabi, but of course I’m rooting for Sean O’Malley,” Dvalishvili said. “And I think Sean O’Malley will win this fight because he has a good knockout power. And I think they’re gonna strike because Zahabi is not a good wrestler like me.”
Here is the clip from Uncrowned:
Merab revealed why he's picking Suga Sean to beat Zahabi at #UFCWhiteHouse 🫶 #HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/F27yJa19Dz
— Uncrowned (@uncrownedcombat) April 29, 2026
Merab Says He Loves O’Malley More Now
Dvalishvili has history with O’Malley. O’Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August 2023 to win the bantamweight title, a result that stung Dvalishvili because Sterling is his close friend and longtime teammate.
“I think Sean O’Malley will win,” Dvalishvili said.
When asked why he said “of course” he was rooting for O’Malley, Dvalishvili answered directly.
“No, I love him,” Dvalishvili said. “Now I love him ten times more.”
Dvalishvili then pointed back to Sterling’s loss and said he blamed referee Marc Goddard’s stoppage more than O’Malley.
“The only heartbroken moment was against Sean O’Malley when he won against my friend Aljamain Sterling,” Dvalishvili said. “But that was Marc Goddard. He stopped early. That wasn’t his fault. That was Marc Goddard stopped early fight.”
O’Malley last fought Dvalishvili at UFC 316, losing by third-round submission in their bantamweight title rematch. Zahabi last fought Marlon Vera at UFC Vancouver, winning by split decision. Their UFC White House matchup gives O’Malley a chance to rebound, while Zahabi gets the biggest-name fight of his UFC run.
