Joe Rogan Highlights Game-changing Surgery of Sean O’Malley That Could Effect UFC 316

UFC veteran Joe Rogan talks about Sean O'Malley's changes in game plan surgery ahead of UFC 316 battle with Merab Dvalishvili.

Joe Rogan Highlights Game-changing Surgery of Sean O’Malley That Could Effect UFC 316

Joe Rogan shares insights about Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili (via Imago/X)

At UFC 316, the bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will face Sean O’Malley in a massive bantamweight title showdown fight. The title rematch is taking place 10 months after the Georgian fighter dominated O’Malley at UFC Noche to first win the belt. Going into the fight, O’Malley is the clear underdog, with many questioning whether he can handle Dvalishvili’s pressure.

In the last fight, O’Malley looked incredibly lost and couldn’t defend a single takedown from Dvalishvili all night. That inability to stop the takedowns significantly affected his striking rhythm, making it nearly impossible to mount any real offensive threat. In a recent episode of JRE, Joe Rogan talked about the changes O’Malley has made during this current fight camp.

That’s an interesting fight. I do not know how Suga Sean keeps that guy off of him but I do like what he’s been doing. Got off social media, got his hip fixed, which was a big problem. Sean couldn’t wrestle. Imagine not being able to wrestle in camp and you gotta go face Merab.

Rogan then went on to credit Dvalishvili for being an absolute animal and relentless cardio monster inside the UFC octagon. He gave the example of Dvalishvili’s last fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, who was considered a dangerous threat beforehand. However, Dvalishvili defeated him just like he did against legends such as Henry Cejudo, Jose Aldo, and others.

Recently, O’Malley revealed he wasn’t at full strength during Noche UFC, battling a nagging groin injury throughout the fight. Despite the pain, he pushed forward because of the massive pay-per-view spotlight and his responsibility as the event’s main attraction. Now, he has gone silent on social media, solely dedicating himself to redemption and victory at UFC 316.

Sean O’Malley gets warned ahead of UFC 316

Sean O’Malley became a superstar through his flashy striking, colorful persona, and highlight-reel knockouts that captivated global fight fans. As a result, the UFC heavily promoted him, recognizing his marketability and potential to draw massive audiences with every appearance. Thanks to UFC’s backing, O’Malley even secured the title rematch, a decision which was criticized by the fans.

Sean O'Malley warned to lose at UFC 316
Sean O’Malley warned to lose at UFC 316 (via MMA Fighting)

During their first press conference, O’Malley accepted the “Dana White privilege” comment confidently, showing his usual charisma. He believes this rematch favors him completely, suggesting he could definitively defend the oncoming takedowns.

‘Suga’ is high on confidence and motivation, pushing hard in training alongside coach Tim Welch’s constant encouragement. However, during a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Merab Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, has confidently stated the result won’t change.

What he [Dvalishvili] brings to the table is just different. People do not understand it. This fight is kind of intriguing because Sean kind of knows that now, Tim [Welch] knows that. But what’s going to happen is they’re going to have a good round, maybe a round or two, but once things start to turn the same way they did before, it’s going to be even more defeating and deflating than it was the first time…The motivation is to go out there and finish Sean. If that doesn’t happen…Sean should be a changed man after this fight if he goes five rounds.

O’Malley recently trained alongside Israel Adesanya, exchanging light sparring and fluid combinations with the former middleweight champion. Their session, featuring two of MMA’s finest strikers, quickly went viral online, captivating fans who admire pure striking in UFC. A few days earlier, O’Malley focused on grappling drills with Demetrious Johnson, absorbing wisdom from one of MMA’s all-time greats.

On the other hand, Dvalishvili recently went viral doing pull-ups from a cliff edge, something everyone can expect from the fighter. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see whether a new approach will have any impact on O’Malley’s performance.

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