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Watch Sean O'Malley prep striking for Merab Dvalishvili in final days before UFC 316

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated May 28, 2025 1:08 PM ET

Just over a week out from the biggest fight of his career at UFC 316, Sean O’Malley’s striking is looking as sharp as ever.

The 30-year-old remains one of the biggest stars on the UFC roster despite losing his bantamweight belt to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, which cut O’Malley’s title reign short after a lone title defense against Marlon “Chito” Vera the previous March.

“Suga” hasn’t stepped into the cage since he and Dvalishvili headlined the UFC’s first (and perhaps only) event at Sphere in Las Vegas, but O’Malley has the chance to reclaim his title from the Georgian next week when the pair rematch at UFC 316.

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Coach Drops Footage Of Sean O'Malley Pad Session

Set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on June 7, UFC 316 is topped by a bantamweight double-feature with Julianna Peña also set to kick off her second reign as women’s bantamweight champion against former PFL star Kayla Harrison in the night’s co-main event.

O’Malley has significantly dialed back his social media activity during the lead up to UFC 316, and just over a week out from the event his longtime coach Tim Welch shared some footage of a recent pad session with the bantamweight star.

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Merab Dvalishvili Seeks Second Title Defense

Few fans would question O’Malley's striking acumen, but the big question heading into UFC 316 is how he’ll adjust to the high-paced style and wrestling game that Dvalishvili used to claim the bantamweight title when the pair met last year.

“The Machine” is currently on an incredible 12-fight win streak dating back to 2018 after dropping his first two UFC bouts against Frankie Saenz and Ricky Simon, and in his last three fights before challenging O’Malley the Georgian bested three former champions in José Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo.

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The 34-year-old successfully defended his bantamweight belt at UFC 311 when he took a unanimous decision over the previously-undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, and now fans are eager to see if O’Malley has been able to make the necessary adjustments to potentially unseat Dvalishvili when the pair rematch in Newark on June 7.

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This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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