UFC Hall of Famer claims Merab Dvalishvili is a ‘Kryptonite matchup’ for Sean O’Malley

Faber admitted O’Malley is technically a more skilled fighter. However, he stated that Dvalishvili was a dog who would run through a brick wall. Nonetheless, he stated O’Malley has underrated BJJ skills. Faber grappled with O’Malley’s training partners, against whom Faber had a hard time.

Johnson also chimed in, praising Dvalishvili. He recalled his interaction with Henry Cejudo when Cejudo was training for Aljamain Sterling . At the time, he remembered telling Cejudo that Dvalishvili would be a tougher matchup than Sterling.

Merab Dvalishvili was a Kryptonite matchup for three former UFC champions

Merab Dvalishvili only has a single finish in his UFC career. However, he has faced a murderer’s row of opponents to become the number one contender in the division. For context, Sean O’Malley had to defeat only Petr Yan to become the number one contender.

Dvalishvili defeated Henry Cejudo in his latest fight at UFC 298. Aside from the TKO loss to Demetrious Johnson, it was the worst loss of Cejudo’s career. Before Cejudo, Dvalishvili dominated Petr Yan in a five-round main event. It was the worst loss of Yan’s career. Yan couldn’t figure out Dvalishvili, who had repeatedly taken him down.

Jose Aldo was the first former champion whom Dvalishvili defeated. Aldo’s takedown defense stood strong but couldn’t mount any offense. Nonetheless, Dvalishvili secured a victory over a legend on his resume.

Even though Urijah Faber stated that Dvalshvili has a stylistic advantage over O’Malley, many have picked O’Malley to defend the title against the Georgian. The reason is that Dvalishvili’s weak striking defense and lack of submission skills could present opportunities for the bantamweight champion.