Jun 14, 2019; New York, NY, USA; Chael Sonnen is introduced before his fight against Lyoto Machida (not pictured) during Bellator 222 at Madison Square Garden. Machida won the fight. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Chael Sonnen defends UFC's decision to grant immediate rematch to Sean O'Malley

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Zain Bando | Last updated May 30, 2025 1:04 PM ET

Former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen is a man of many opinions, but his latest one may be his most puzzling yet.

Sonnen, an analyst for the UFC during its blockbuster pay-per-views, was in attendance when Merab Dvalishvili won the UFC Bantamweight Championship against Sean O’Malley last September.

Even though Dvalishvili walked away with a unanimous decision win, it wasn’t enough to please Sonnen. Sonnen scored the fight fairly differently than the rest of the public while also defending the promotion’s decision to grant O’Malley a rematch.

Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

Chael Sonnen Sends Message To UFC, Sean O'Malley

In an interview with MMAJunkie's Mike Bohn, Sonnen pleaded his case that “Suga” did enough to retain the title.

"O'Malley vs. Merab, I'm not sure that Merab won that night," Sonnen said. “I mean, that wasn't really met with a lot of controversy. That was pretty widely accepted, and we all got up and went home.”

Sonnen said a rewatch of the championship rounds offered a different opinion altogether.

“That surprised me,” Sonnen said. “If you go back and you watch that fourth and fifth round, you might come to a different opinion than you did the first time. I mean, that fight might have been 3-2 O'Malley."

Sonnen encourages people to watch fights without commentary if possible. Therefore, a fight may be viewed differently altogether, which is what Sonnen took away from the in-person experience.

“I was there live, so I didn't get to hear any of that,” Sonnen said. “I just watched the fight. And when it was done, I'm like, 'Oh, close fight, but O'Malley won,' and it just wasn't the case."

The rematch goes down next Saturday night as the UFC 316 headliner from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The fight marks Dvalishvili’s second title defense, while O’Malley attempts to regain what was once his.