Again?! ‘Suga State Athletic Commission’ Overturns Merab Loss

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Sean O’Malley initially took his second-career loss (18-2, 1 no contest) in stride after UFC 306 this past weekend (Sept. 14, 2024). Now he’s back to some familiar antics.

O’Malley’s year-long Bantamweight title reign came to an end at Noche UFC when tasked with his expected toughest test to date, Merab Dvalishvili. “The Machine” utilized his limitless cardio and superior wrestling to wear on “Sugar” throughout five rounds to score the unanimous decision win and claim the title.

The 29-year-old former champion owned up to the defeat on the night unlike in years past when he lost for the first time to Marlon “Chito” Vera in 2020 and then had a no contest against Pedro Munhoz in 2022. However, O’Malley must have rewatched the fight and felt he won the last two rounds of his Dvalishvili loss, making him the victor, according to his latest social media post.

“Suga State athletic commission BREAKING NEWS,” O’Malley tweeted. “Suga won 2 of the last 3 rounds!! Fight Over turned. Suga won!”

O’Malley officially won two rounds on two of the three judges’ scorecards at UFC 306. Rather than the last two rounds, the two judges gave O’Malley 48-47 cards with him earning 10-9 scores in rounds three and five. The other judge, who scored the fight 49-46 for Dvalishvili, also gave O’Malley round five.

The win extended Dvalishvili’s Bantamweight record-winning streak to 11 (18-4 overall). The Georgian is expected to have his first title defense opposite the undefeated 18-0 Dagestani, Umar Nurmagomedov.