Merab Dvalishvili admits he was pissed when Sean O'Malley called out Ilia Topuria after the UFC 299 main event, but the title contender isn't sweatin' Suga's words 'cause the big guy, Dana White, told him the fights his!
"I did see Dana for a little bit. I just said hi, and I believe he told me, 'You are next.' That's what he told me," 33-year-old Dvalishvili told TMZ Sports, adding, "We all know I'm next. I'm very confident I'm gonna fight Sean."
Merab was in the building at the Kaseya Center in Miami ... and watched 29-year-old O'Malley put on a masterful performance against Marlon "Chito" Vera, winning by unanimous decision.
FYI, Dvalishvili is the #1 ranked bantamweight contender, and is in the midst of a 10-fight win streak which includes wins over Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Marlon Moraes, and Jose Aldo.
"It's so stupid from Sean that he's not mentioning my name. Especially because this fight is going to happen, and he could make it big," Dvalishvili said showing his frustration with O'Malley.
Despite not loving the post-299 call-out, Merab still has a healthy dose of respect for Sean.
"I have so much respect for Sean as a fighter. He's a great fighter. I look at him as a big challenge. From 2018, I wanted to fight him because I see a big challenge. He's tall, he's quick, he's got knockout power. Good footwork. He's gonna be hard challenge fight for me and I'm ready for this challenge and I don't take this fight as an easy fight."