Merab Dvalishvili Plans Heist on Sean O’Malley’s Sponsors with UFC 316 Win: “Stole His Jacket, Stole His Belt…”

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has promised to take away Sean O'Malley's brand power after UFC 316.

Merab Dvalishvili Plans Heist on Sean O’Malley’s Sponsors with UFC 316 Win: “Stole His Jacket, Stole His Belt…”

Merab Dvalishvili wants to dominate Sean O'Malley and take his sponsors (via Imago/X)

The stage is set for the UFC bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316. The fight takes place inside the Prudential Center and the ‘Machine’ is the betting favorite to win the bout. Ahead of the fight, Dvalishvili is confident and his target is more than just defending his belt against the former champion.

In their last clash, Dvalishvili outclassed O’Malley for five rounds using relentless pressure and his signature suffocating wrestling style throughout. He even outstruck O’Malley and took the belt, but now plans another heist in their UFC 316 rematch. In a recent episode of the UFC Embedded series, the fighter talked about his plans in detail.

I can’t wait to touch Sean O’Malley’s face again. I stole his jacket, I stole his jacket. I’m coming, I’m gonna stole your popularity. I’m gonna stole all your sponsors. All the good stuff.

Merab Dvalishvili via UFC 316 Embedded Series

O’Malley’s flashy style and knockout power have made him one of the most marketable stars in the entire UFC roster. His popularity has attracted major sponsorships, including deals with fashion, gaming, and cannabis brands that align with his vibrant personality. One of his biggest collaborations is with boxing star Jake Paul with their W deodorant series which has gone viral.

Despite losing the belt, O’Malley’s brand keeps growing and a comeback could take his mainstream stardom to another level. However, the Georgian star wants the opposite and aims to take that spotlight for himself with a win at UFC 316. In a training video, Dvalishvili looked furious, training intensely and sharpening his takedown skills for another dominant wrestling performance.

Veteran talks about Merab Dvalishvili’s mindset ahead of UFC 316

Last time, Merab Dvalishvili gave Sean O’Malley no room to recover, dominating every round and winning by unanimous decision. According to ‘Suga’, he was dealing with a serious hip injury that limited his movement and overall performance throughout the fight. To fix that, O’Malley underwent hip surgery and made key lifestyle changes to return stronger and healthier for UFC 316.

Merab is locked in for Sean O'Malley
Merab is locked in for Sean O’Malley (via Imago)

He was recently seen sparring with Israel Adesanya to sharpen his striking skills, which are already some of the best. Alongside that, he trained with Demetrious Johnson to improve his takedown defense and overall grappling awareness before the title fight. However, it might not be enough, and that’s exactly what former champion Robert Whittaker mentioned recently on his podcast.

I spoke to Merab today. He seems locked in and he said he’s going to be looking for a finish. I did think in the first fight he got a bit carried away with showboating, taunting. He seemed locked in when I was speaking to him. I didn’t get that super high energy when speaking to Merab. He seems focused, he understands the threats that Sean is gonna bring to the table. I’m looking forward to this fight.

Robert Whittaker via MMArcade Podcast

O’Malley was also seen trying to improve his nerves by recreating the fighting atmosphere in his gym and having hard sparring. It’s an input that he took from the ‘Notorious’ Conor McGregor from his rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 202. It went viral and even got the approval of McGregor despite their controversial relationship

On top of that, ‘Suga’ has stuck to no fap and has quit smoking we*d in order stay in top shape and mindset for the bout. He has decided not to colour his hair this time, something that he has been doing since 2020. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see whether all this effort adds up to any changes in the expected results of the fight.

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