Sean O’Malley Warns Next Title Challenger on What to Expect from Merab Dvalishvili After UFC 316 Beatdown

Former UFC champion Sean O'Malley talks about his nerves during his last fight against the bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.

Sean O’Malley Warns Next Title Challenger on What to Expect from Merab Dvalishvili After UFC 316 Beatdown

Sean O'Malley discusses the tough fight against Merab Dvalishvili (via X)

Going into UFC 316, Sean O’Malley had huge expectations as he wanted to avenge his previous loss ten months earlier. However, despite his eagerness and major lifestyle changes, the superstar fighter still couldn’t manage to stop the relentless Merab Dvalishvili. While the last fight lasted for five tough rounds, this time the ‘Machine’ finished O’Malley impressively in the third round.

O’Malley’s wrestling training helped him successfully defend multiple takedowns from Dvalishvili during the early rounds. However, as the fight progressed deeper, the bantamweight champion pressed harder and eventually submitted O’Malley using a brutal north-south choke. Following the bout, in a recent YouTube video, O’Malley openly shared his daunting experience fighting the Georgian once again.

He felt different. He felt stronger… I definitely felt a nervous feeling that I’m not used to. Just because how the first fight played out, knowing his cardio is so crazy. So I was more nervous for this fight than I’ve ever been. You feel vulnerable in the cage, that, ‘Alright, if this MF gabs a hold of me, there’s a chance that I can’t get away…

Sean O’Malley via his podcast

O’Malley’s longtime coach, Tim Welch, had made several promises ahead of the fight and was devastated after the consecutive loss. He agreed to O’Malley’s claims and mentioned that this version of Dvalishvili was way stronger than the UFC 306 one. Following the loss, O’Malley wass frustrated but not demoralized and was thinking about taking a small break and bounce back soon.

O’Malley is one of UFC’s most marketed fighters, largely because of his huge popularity and superstar potential. After Dana White announced UFC 316, many fans accused UFC of favoritism, believing that ‘Suga’ didn’t truly deserve the opportunity. Following his tough loss, O’Malley was mocked by fellow bantamweights and even received a direct callout from Henry Cejudo.

Merab Dvalishvili’s coach reviews UFC 316 fight against Sean O’Malley

Following his dominant victory at UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili silenced all doubters and proved himself as a true force of nature. He has now joined the elite UFC list with 13 consecutive wins, standing alongside legends like Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Additionally, he climbed the pound-for-pound rankings, now sitting at #2 after surpassing fellow Georgian Ilia Topuria with that performance.

Merab Dvalishvili's dominance is explained by his coach
Merab Dvalishvili’s dominance is explained by his coach (via X)

Dvalishvili’s resume speaks volumes, with dominant victories over some of the most respected and decorated legends in bantamweight history. One of the biggest criticisms against the ‘Machine’ was his lack of finishes, but he clearly answered that at UFC 316. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Dvalishvili’s coach John Wood discussed this shift in great detail.

Mark my words, this won’t be the first and only submission. There will be knockouts. There will be TKOs. He’s still getting better. And I think that, you know, Sean did better, but I mean, Sean defended takedowns in the first one. And as, as a coach, it’s my job to, like I said, figure out what in a rematch what they think they’re going to do better. And we have to change and adjust and change those strategies and change those timings. And it worked out perfectly.

John Wood via MMA Fighting

Merab Dvalishvili wants to be the most active champion in the promotion and has talked about fighting again at UFC Noche. At UFC 316, he has already accepted the challenge to fight the top bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen. Despite his veteran status, Sandhagen is definitely the underdog going into the octagon against the ‘Machine.’

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