Sean O’Malley has some words of advice for the new bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. The Georgian is now wearing the crown that once rested on O’Malley’s head. So as a first time champion, Dvalishvili will need all the help he can get. While the two fighters had an insane beef going into the octagon, it seems ‘Suga’ has already let it go.
In the latest episode of the TimboSugarShow, the former champ had some advice for his foe regarding his next fight. ‘Suga’ advised the champion to not go against what the UFC wants.
“I’m like bro do you not learn from Aljo. You’re not gonna come out and say I’m not fighting Umar, you’re the champ….If I’m going to give him any advice, it’s just f*cking don’t go against what the UFC wants.”
Dvalishvili has made it very clear that he does not want to give Umar Nurmagomedov the title shot next. He believes Deiveson Figueiredo has a better claim to the #1 contender spot, despite the fact that the Dagestani fighter is the #2 ranked fighter in the division at the moment.
But O’Malley believes this is a bad look for the Georgian. ‘Suga’ believes that openly defying what the company wants to declining to fight a rising star with the right people backing him could misfire for the new bantamweight champion.
As for his own future, O’Malley recently made a big revelation on the same podcast: ‘The Sugar Show’ is going offline for a while.
‘Suga’ announces a break from the UFC
Yes, ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley is going to be taking a break from the UFC. He has been fighting the best of the best in the division for a while now and he just needs time off.
The former bantamweight champion will now be taking at least 9 or 10 months off to recharge and recover from his title run,
“I probably won’t fight for 9 months, 10 months. Maybe a year. It’s gonna be a while. People are gonna have to watch the UFC without the Suga Show for a little bit.”
Sean O’Malley says he’s going to take a break after losing to Merab:
“I probably won’t fight for 9 months, 10 months. Maybe a year. It’s gonna be a while.
People are gonna have to watch the UFC without the Suga Show for a little bit.”
@SugaSeanMMA #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/4j4KIdhWVV
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 17, 2024
In the past, champions like Israel Adesanya have resorted to the same tactic of taking time off from the sport. However, it doesn’t always go to plan. Ring rust is a very real thing and fighters sometimes are unable to find their mojo again and remain a shadow of their former selves.
