Sean O’Malley’s second title defense as the UFC bantamweight champion will be one to remember.

The “Sugar Show” takes center stage against surging top contender Merab Dvalishvili as the featured attraction atop the “one-time ever” Las Vegas Sphere event for Noche UFC on Sept. 14. The Mexican Independence Day special is expected to be unlike anything ever seen before as an MMA event and the slow-burning rivalry getting the main event slot is just what O’Malley hoped for.

After winning a record 10 in a row at bantamweight, Dvalishvili (17-4) finally gets his crack at UFC gold. Unfortunately for him, according to O’Malley (18-1, 1 NC), the champion isn’t going to play nice and expects an outcome that quickly leads to a promotional departure for “The Machine.”

“There’s little beefs all over the place,” O’Malley said on Believe You Me. “At the end of the day, he’s just another opponent. It’s gonna be another knockout, highlight-reel for the ‘Sugar Show.’ I feel bad for him because he’s been this close to the belt for a long time, and he’s just not quite gonna get there, and it’s because of me. So, there’s a little bit of guilt there.

“Maybe I’ll move up to ‘45, and I think he could take out the division, but to be honest, I think I’m gonna make him look stupid. I’m gonna make him look amateur, and I don’t know how much longer he will be in the UFC.”

O’Malley made his first defense in a rematch against Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299 in May. The unanimous decision win was a one-sided masterclass of redemption for O’Malley, winning all five rounds on the judges’ scorecards.

Dvalishvili has majorly put on a dominant effort during his winning streak as well, just with his strong wrestling game rather than putting opponents away. He’s teased striking more than wrestling with the champion, but no one, O’Malley included, buys what he’s selling. No matter the route taken by the challenger, “Sugar” sees it ending poorly in this matchup.

“It’s kind of a lose-lose for him,” O’Malley said. “Him trying to wrestle is what’s gonna get him knocked out, but also him trying to strike with me is not really gonna go his way either. So, it’s kind of a sh*t position for Merab to be in having to fight me for the title.

“If I show up Sept. 14 at The Sphere like I did against ‘Aljo’ (Aljamain Sterling), like I did against ‘Chito,’ I beat Merab. I’m very good at showing up when the moment matters the most.”

---

TOP STORIES

Weird. Dana White defends Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight: ‘I should just sh*t on Stipe because Jon got hurt?’

Recap. DWCS Season 8, Week 3 results: Four fighters receive contracts, Dana White books a rematch for future episode

Counter. Matt Brown argues ‘if anybody is to blame for fighter pay, it’s the fighters — and I’m one of them’

BMF. Max Holloway: ‘A lot of people laughed, but we’ll see who gets the last laugh’ at UFC 308

Clapback. ‘How disrespectful are they?’: Kamaru Usman reacts to UFC fans who say he’s ‘washed’

Limbo. Demetrious Johnson ‘not officially retired’ but says MMA ‘is not on my mind right now’

Next. Ex-UFC fighter Mariya Agapova signs with BKFC

Analysis. Robert Whittaker: Dricus du Plessis may look ‘like a pub fighter,’ but Alex Pereira facing him at 185 is a bad idea

Comeback. ‘I was seen as just a punching bag’: Marco Tulio returns to DWCS for a second chance to impress

Onward. Igor Severino signs with Oktagon MMA after UFC release for biting opponent

Confidence. Joe Rogan defends Jake Paul fight: 58-year-old Mike Tyson ‘can still knock your head into another dimension’

---

LET’S WATCH

Dana White Post-Contender Series Scrum.

Young Sean.

Full fights.

O’Malley’s fantasy factory.

Arnold’s food tour.

---

MORNING MUSIC

Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

This month’s full playlist:

---

SOCIAL SCROLL DOWN

Bionic Bisping.

At it again.

Smiles.

Shade.

Adjustments...

Ankalaev isn’t impressed.

Your Tuesday highlights.

---

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Jonathan Pearce (14-6) vs. Pat Sabatini (18-5); UFC Vegas 98, Oct. 12

Brad Katona (14-3) vs. Jean Matsumoto (15-0); UFC Vegas 99, Oct. 19

Myktybek Orolbai (13-1-1) vs. Mateusz Rębecki (19-2); UFC 308, Oct. 26

Mike Malott (10-2-1) vs. Trevin Giles (16-6); UFC Edmonton, Nov. 2

Nikita Krylov (30-9) vs. Azamat Murzakanov (14-0); UFC 309, Nov. 16

Tracy Cortez (11-2) vs. Miranda Maverick (14-5); UFC Tampa, Dec. 4

---

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think with O’Malley vs. Merab it’s very likely it will be one-sided in either direction. Not expecting an all-out instant classic in that one but I hope I’m wrong.

Thanks for reading!

---

EXIT POLL

---

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.