Jacuzzi! And now the picture of Merab Dvalishvili getting cute with a friend comes to mind. It’s something Merab has often been teased about, primarily by former foe Sean O’Malley. But O’Malley seems to have lost the right to do so.
But don’t worry, it’s not because Merab’s feelings were hurt, and O’Malley decided to be a more considerate person overnight. The pair, who are expected to fight in a rematch sometime in the summer for the bantamweight title, have decided to put the rivalry on hold and jump into the hot tub together.
The bantamweight champion shared a couple of pictures of the pair chilling out at the UFC Performance Institute jacuzzi, looking like old training partners.
While O’Malley looks content to be there, Merab seems to have been enjoying the hangout far too much!
Having some fun in the jacuzzi w/ @sugasean pic.twitter.com/vZS57jYfWL
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) March 8, 2025
As you can imagine, this photo evoked a lot of emotions among fans, who were reminded of another famous UFC champion and his friends squeezed into a hot tub.“Just like Khabib and the boys. Good times.”, they joked.
This fan, so used to seeing Dvalishvili using O’Malley’s doppelganger (a doll) in his skits, had to double-check to make sure it was the real deal. Shocked, he said, “Wtf lol I had to take a second look to make sure it wasn’t the fake Suga Sean.”
wtf lol
I had to take a second look to make sure it wasn’t the fake suga Sean
— Prabh (@PrabhhSingh) March 8, 2025
Another user could not believe how Dvalishvili managed to pull it off. After all the trash talking on social media, fans never thought they would be able to see the pair in the same room without a fight breaking out. “Lmao Merab you are the man.”, they said, surprised at the champion’s diplomatic abilities.
Some others couldn’t help but joke about the size of the jacuzzi and added, “Oh yes, I see you guys want to be Dagestan now,” “In Dagestan, bathtub not this big,”.
Making a remake of the Nurmagomedov family?
— ❄️ (@cheddarmma) March 8, 2025
Mind you, O’Malley and Dvalishvili might still be on a collision course for the bantamweight title, but for now, they’re just two guys living a everyday normal life and hanging out, like colleagues do.
That said, don’t fret. The rematch is still on.
O’Malley and Merab tease another title fight
A ‘Sugar’ and Merab interaction would actually be incomplete without at least one of them bringing up their rematch. Their first fight at UFC Noche last year was a one-sided affair, with the Georgian running down O’Malley in a grappling showdown. Since then, Sean has gone through hip surgery and rehab and watched Merab end the Nurmagomedov monopoly over the title.
Merab’s win over Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 also saw ‘The Machine’ finally getting the admiration and respect of both fans and his peers.
And now that O’Malley is fit, he wants to test himself against the defending champion’s endless cardio and resilience.
“Ready to go again?”, he asked Merab upon meeting him. ‘The Machine’ of course, responded with an affirmative. “I’m ready, let’s go.”, he said.
Sean O’Malley and Merab just crossed paths and talked about their rematch pic.twitter.com/0Qr1HvUvr4
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) March 8, 2025
O’Malley then reminded the champ that he only had ‘one hip’ during their last fight, alluding to his hip injury, which he claims stopped him from performing to the best of his ability.
The champ responded by saying he would use his striking in their rematch as both fighters burst out laughing. It looks like the rematch is going to have a very different and friendlier vibe compared to the first match, where the pair were prepared to pull each other’s hair.
