Sean O’Malley has the fourth highest strikes landed per minute (7.67) in UFC history. Merab Dvalishvili holds third place for most takedowns (79) all-time. A popular sentiment says the active striker is putting on a fan-friendly show, but Dvalishvili disagrees. The UFC bantamweight title challenger believes it’s his responsibility to pull a dynamic fight out of O’Malley at UFC 306 on Saturday.
Dvalishvili finally cashes in on a long-overdue title shot at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Much of the delay was due to Dvalishvili and former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling putting their friendship before the title. O’Malley’s viral knockout of Sterling at UFC 292 last year cleared the way for Dvalishvili to attain the title and vengeance.
O’Malley had a matador and bull approach to fighting Sterling, fending off the wrestling before landing a perfect knockout punch early in Round 2. Dvalishvili employs a distinct but equally grappling-heavy approach to Sterling. Dvalishvili diminished O’Malley’s performance when asked what lessons he took from UFC 292’s main event.
“Sean will run a lot,” Dvalishvili told CBS Sports. “He will make a boring fight. I have to be the one who steps in and makes an exciting fight. I learned from Aljo and Sean’s fight that Sean was running. He doesn’t care. He avoided the fight. He was running, circling with good footwork. He was waiting for one lucky punch. He found one lucky punch and [referee] Marc Goddard helped him stop the fight early. Now he’s champion.”
Dvalishvili gives up a five-inch height and four-inch reach advantage to O’Malley. The challenger conceded that O’Malley’s height and reach incur some advantages — such as striking at distance and fending off takedowns from the outside — but once again talked down O’Malley’s abilities.
Check out the full interview with Merab Dvalishvili below.
“I don’t care, bro. He’s tall. I’ve been sparring and training and fighting tall guys. I see everything. I see all,” Dvalishvili said. “I’ve been sparring with champions in different weight classes — big guys, small guys, ladies and black belts, everybody. I’m very comfortable.
“When you’re tall, it benefits you. But if it mattered so much then the tallest guy would be champion. It’s not about how tall you are. It’s about what you bring to the fight game. I have better technique and better skills. I’m a better mixed martial artist. That’s what I believe. That’s what I believe and that’s what I will show.”
