Merab Dvalishvili Vs. Sean O’Malley Key Battles

Merab Dvalishvili defends his UFC Bantamweight Title against Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 on June 7, as we look at how the fight could play out. 

Dvalishvili won their first clash at UFC 306 in a unanimous decision to win the belt. Dvalishvili solidified his position as the leading bantemweight by handing Umar Nurmagomedov his first loss in his next fight. A rematch with O’Malley had been delayed after Sean had surgery on his hip. He admitted he did not have the best training camp for the Merab fight, although he refused to use that as an excuse for his loss. Sean has shown he can avenge losses, having done so against Marlon Vera. Let us see how the fight could play out. 

Pre-Fight

“This time I’ll be more focused on the finish and more focused on damage. The first fight it was too easy, and I was too relaxed. I saw everything and controlled everything. I did kiss him and I did make fun of him. But this time I’m going to focus more on finishing, which is what I worked on. So yeah, that’s what I’m looking forward to,” Merab stated

“To beat Merab you’ve got to be focused. You’ve got to be dialed, have the correct preparation. They call him ‘The Machine’ for a reason. He’s a machine, so I’ve got to go out there and break the machine. That’s been the goal this whole camp is go out there and break ‘The Machine,” O’Malley said

Key Battles

Dvalishvili is known for having an impressive gas tank, as he can last the distance. He is light on his feet and gets stronger as the fight progresses. Merab may not have the biggest striking, but he tires out his opponents before looking to land ground-and-pound strikes and takedowns. The Umar win showed that, as the Russian was gassed heading into the final rounds. Merab holds the record for the most takedowns at 91, with an impressive 5.89 takedowns every 15 minutes. 

O’Malley is known for being a knockout artist. He is an expert in pacing himself and controlling the distance before letting his hands go. Sean also mixes things up well, using angles and leg kicks to the midsection and upstairs. His boxing skills are very impressive, which has led to talk of a crossover boxing bout. While he has a good foundation in jiu-jitsu, his grappling will need to improve if he is to beat Merab. 

Full Card

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley

Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer

Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix

Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland

Prelims

Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van

Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Khaos Williams vs. Andreas Gustafsson

Ariane da Silva vs. Wang Cong

Jeka Saragih vs. Joo Sang Yoo

Quillan Salkilld vs. Yanal Ashmouz

MarQuel Mederos vs. Mark Choinski