Sean O’Malley is preparing for a rematch against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316, scheduled for June 7, 2025, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The former bantamweight champ lost his title to Merab Dvalishvili in September 2024 at UFC 306 and spoke about his plans in early April 2025 on his YouTube channel and “TimboSugarShow” podcast. He’s banking on a revamped training camp and big lifestyle shifts to take back the 135-pound belt.
Sean O’Malley Reflects on First Fight and New Plan
“The rematch is official,” Sean O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “‘Suga’ Sean vs. Merab 2 is happening, and I don’t think people are going to be too happy about it. The last time I fought the best bantamweight in the world—the best bantamweight at the time [Aljamain Sterling]— I got the job done. I’m very confident in my skills. Last camp we had some sh*t going on. I don’t want to sit here and make excuses. We had a great camp, I showed up, I was in shape, we did what we could with what we were able to do. This camp has already been a lot different and I’m feeling good. I’m excited to go out there and take care of business.”
He opened up about an injury from that camp.
“Last fight camp, every single journal entry was like, ‘My groin kept me up at night’ because I tore my labrum 10 weeks before the fight,” O’Malley said. “I tore my groin labrum and I was having serious groin pain. It was super—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, especially against a f*cking murderer—well, not a murderer, but a stud, an absolute machine.
“If I can just keep this pace up, how we’ve been able to train the last few weeks, all the way up to the fight, I’m going to be 70 percent better than I was in that first fight. I’m going to be significantly more mobile, agile, better shape. I’m going to fight at my full potential. Whereas my last fight, I was very happy with how I was able to perform considering how I felt. It wasn’t ideal, the outcome, I didn’t win, but I also think I wasn’t supposed to win. This rematch was supposed to happen. It’s going to make this win that much more crazy.”
Sean O’Malley’s Lifestyle Overhaul
Sean O’Malley, a 30-year-old from Helena, Montana, detailed his changes.
“I feel like a lot of things that have changed in my life are going to attribute to my performance,” he said on his “TimboSugarShow” podcast. “For example, not being on social media. I decided in 2025 I’m done with social media. I don’t get on social media, and I feel like that’s changed my life. It’s only been three months, but I literally feel like it’s changed my life, and I feel like that’s going to play a role in my performance. All those little things—making decisions like that, sacrifices. I don’t believe (social media) is a sacrifice, but giving up something, I feel like that is going to help me perform in the future.”
He’s gone further with discipline.
“I haven’t j’d the peen [masturbated] once this year—not once in 2025,” Sean O’Malley said. “Haven’t j’d the peen, haven’t been on social. I haven’t gamed, either. I quit gaming. I did a lot of gaming, two or three hours a day, and I need to fill it with something. We’ve been playing a lot of Texas Hold ‘Em poker with the fellas. It’s been too fun. It’s like gaming. You say, ‘One more hand.’ I quit smoking weed, too. I just stopped randomly. I just didn’t like the way it made me feel. I’m not over eating. My sleep’s better. I’m not done smoking forever, but just right now I don’t feel the need to, and I just don’t have any desire to. I feel like it’s been good.”
Merab Dvalishvili, a 34-year-old from Tbilisi, Georgia, now based in Las Vegas, won the title at UFC 306 with his wrestling and defended it against Umar Nurmagomedov in January 2025 at UFC 311, keeping a 12-fight win streak since 2018. Sean O’Malley won the belt by knocking out Aljamain Sterling in August 2023 at UFC 292 but lost it in his second defense. Announced by Dana White on April 1, 2025, this June 7 rematch at UFC 316 in Newark pits a refreshed Sean O’Malley against the division’s top dog.
