UFC bantamweight champion ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley returns to title action in just a few weeks’ time when he headlines the ‘once in a lifetime’ PPV at The Sphere in Las Vegas against Georgian wrecking ball, Merab Dvalishvili.

Yet preparation for the upcoming title fight at UFC 306, aka UFC Noche, has arguably been far smoother for the champion than the challenger, with Merab Dvalishvili having infamously snipped out his own stitches from a nasty cut he’s suffered in training.

Sean O’Malley will ‘100%’ target Merab Dvalishvili’s cut at UFC 306

Given how the cut, and the subsequent cutting out of the stitches, has been such a focal point of the global discussion around the upcoming UFC bantamweight title fight, it’s no surprise that Sean O’Malley is ready and willing to take advantage of the chaos.

In fact, ‘Suga’ told veteran MMA reporter Kevin Iole earlier this week how he will “100%” target the cut, which is located just above The Machine’s left eye, when the octagon cage door is eventually locked behind them on September 14.

“I am 100% going to open up that cut [again], whether it’s healed or not,” stated the flashy 135lb champion.

“I don’t know how much it can heal, I’ve never really had any bad cuts so I’m not sure really but I’m gonna be [targeting it] – that’s the left side of his face and this right hand doesn’t miss.

“I’ll probably accidentally hit his nose before I hit that cut, that nose just kind of takes up like 85% of his face so I’m going to try and get around his nose and get to that cut.”

On the decision from Dvalishvili to not only reveal the injury to the world but to snip out his own stitches using a rather oversized pair of scissors, O’Malley harked back to recent comments made from Dana White.

“Dana referring to him as one of the stupidest people or beyond stupid, something like that, whatever he said was pretty accurate I mean the dude’s just not that smart of a guy.”

In a prior interview with The Schmo, O’Malley had also teased that his patented overhand right – the shot that won him the title against Dvalishvili’s friend and teammate – might be able to land on both the nose and the cut at the same time.

“The nose, the beak is the target, but you never know – I’ve got some pretty f***** big hands so I think I could probably land on that beak and nose at the same time, go for a two-for-one.”

Merab Dvalishvili ‘doesn’t regret’ posting video of cut despite response from UFC

Speaking via ESPN MMA, Merab Dvalishvili confirmed that just two weeks out from the clash with O’Malley, the cut over his eye has already healed up and that he’s back in training without issue.

“Very good, it’s healed up – I’ve been sparring, I’ve been training so it’s all good… It’s a part of the training, these things happen all the time – if it was Fight Week, I would not have posted it but I have one month [to recover].”

The Machine stated that he’s always cut his own stitches out and that this wasn’t a stunt pulled specifically for UFC Noche: “It’s not the first [time] and it’s not the last.

“It’s normal for me but I guess this is special to some people, but that’s how I live.”

Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili is set for the main event of UFC 306, scheduled for September 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.