‘Sorry Couldn’t Get…’: Sean O’Malley Breaks Silence After Heartbreaking Second Loss to Merab Dvalishvili

Sean O’Malley gave up smoking, drinking, and partying, but it still wasn’t enough. No matter what he did on Saturday night, inside the octagon, Merab Dvalishvili seemed to have an answer for it. The Georgian’s performance had Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier calling him the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time.

‘Suga’ looked impressive at the start. The former champ wasn’t in his usual hairdo of rainbow colors. O’Malley’s takedown defense and striking worked well for him in the opening round.

But as the rounds went on, and Merab kept putting the pressure, ‘Suga’ couldn’t keep up anymore. In a heartfelt video posted to his Instagram story, he had this to say: “Alright fellows, we’re back home, appreciate you guys. Sorry, we didn’t get the job done. We’ll be back, love you guys.”

The champ didn’t look too devastated following the loss, but it’s back to square one for him now. He will have to climb his way back up to the top if he wants another title shot.

 

Sean O’Malley’s message to the fans pic.twitter.com/QDeF8fbNck

— THE UFCGUY (@the_ufcguy) June 8, 2025

But the former champ made a classy gesture even after his loss. ‘Suga’ didn’t leave the octagon, as fighters tend to do after a big loss; he stayed back.

Sean O’Malley won the fans over with this

Fighters who end up losing a title fight or a major headliner end up going back to their dressing rooms as soon as they can. Especially if they’ve lost via a submission or a KO, the embarrassment or feeling of failure is more profound.

‘Suga‘ did not give in to those thoughts. He believed he owed a token of gratitude to all the fans who came out in droves to support him. In fact, the crowd was chanting his name for an extended amount of time in the very first round.

So when Rogan stepped into the octagon after the fight, he took the champ’s interview, then asked O’Malley what he thought about his performance. “I didn’t feel like it was going to go like that. Unfortunately, it did. Merab’s a motherf*cker.” O’Malley said.

He then revealed why he stayed in the octagon, “I just wanted to stick around and thank everybody that came out and supported us. If it wasn’t for you guys, this shit wouldn’t be possible and I feel super super grateful right now.” 

The crowd cheered him on for his classy gesture.

 

Sean O’Malley’s instant reaction to the Merab loss

“I didn’t feel like it was going to go like that… Merab’s a motherf***er.” #UFC316pic.twitter.com/NjqdnvSapX

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 8, 2025

‘Suga’ will be hoping he can come back stronger and make another run for the title. He still aims to be one of the greatest MMA fighters to have ever lived, and to do that, he will have to overcome this adversity.