UFC 306: Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili Analyze Each Other in B/R Exclusive
Saturday's UFC 306 card will mark the promotion's first in the new Las Vegas Sphere, and matchmakers have chosen bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley and challenger Merab Dvalishvili to headline the landmark event.
It's a massive fight for the division. O'Malley has long been one of the biggest stars in MMA, and is now a defending champion, while Dvalishvili is as credible as contenders come, with a record-setting 10 straight wins in the bantamweight division behind him.
Stylistically, the pair could not be more different. The champion is a rangy, sniper-like striker with big power, while the challenger is a relentless wrestler who—as hard as it is to believe—has actually attempted more takedowns than he has minutes in the Octagon.
On paper, it's an extremely competitive fight that could end any number of ways, and a great headliner for the UFC's debut in one of the world's most technologically advanced venues.
As we all wait for the card to begin, B/R sat down with O'Malley and Dvalishvili to discuss their expectations for the fight, and how they see it ending.
Dvalishvili on O'Malley's Skills
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Dvalishvili and O'Malley have traded plenty of trash talk in the lead-up to their fight, but if you think the challenger is underestimating the champion, think again.
Dvalishvili, from Georgia, has a lot of respect for his opponent's skills, particularly on the feet.
"He is definitely dangerous opponent," the challenger said of the champ. "He knocks people out. He has knockout power, he has some jiu jitsu, he has good footwork, he has reach. He has all the challenges, and that's why I've been calling him out since 2018.
"He's really dangerous fighter. I respect him as a fighter, but I believe in myself and I believe I can beat him. I'm gonna do everything to win this fight and make my people proud, to represent my team, represent my country, represent all the hard-working people around the world."
Dvalishvili and his team know O'Malley well. O'Malley actually knocked out Dvalishvili's longtime training partner Aljamain Sterling to win the belt last year.
It was a very impressive win for O'Malley, but the thing that stuck out most to Dvalishvili is how little the champion moved forward in the Octagon. He expects a similar strategy this Saturday.
"Sean was running a lot," he said. "[Sterling] was the one who has to chase him.
"He's going to do the same thing against me. I have to be one who's gonna step in and who's gonna start fighting, because he's gonna be just running and fighting from the distance."
O'Malley on Dvalishvili's Skills
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The respect Dvalishvili has for O'Malley's skills is definitely reciprocated.
"10-fight win streak, cardio machine, beat former champion after former champion after former champion," the champion said of his challenger. "He is [ranked] No. 1 for a reason. He is very, very dangerous."
Many expect O'Malley to have some trouble with Dvalishvili's relentless wrestling attack. If O'Malley is able to beat the Georgian grappler, however, it will help silence many of his remaining doubters, who suspect takedowns and top control are the key to beating him.
He relishes the opportunity to prove those naysayers wrong.
"Even if I go out there and knock Merab out very early — which I probably will do — they'll still 'but you haven't fought a wrestler that was able to take you down,'" O'Malley said. "It's always a lose-lose.
"I mean, if he does take me down, and I'm able to deal with that and I get back up, knock him out, submit him, whatever it is, win a decision, maybe they stop saying all that," he added. "But my goal is to go out there and not even have to deal with that: Keep distance, keep him at the end of my punches, and put his lights out.
"I love watching people pick against me. There's definitely an extra drive. It's not like a personal thing. I don't think they hate me, but I do enjoy being an underdog."
What a Win Means for Dvalishvili
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It's fair to say that if Dvalishvili's bantamweight title shot has been a long time coming.
The Georgian has arguably deserved the opportunity for years—even before his recent wins over former champs Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo.
"I deserved this title shot before," he said. "When I got a call from UFC and they told me yes, I'm fighting Sean O'Malley [at the Sphere], I was so relieved and happy. I was just like, oh God, it's finally here."
While Dvalishvili is confident he'll win the title and has visualized the fight countless times, he has a hard time imagining how it would feel to have the bantamweight belt wrapped around his waist by UFC CEO Dana White.
"We [fighters] have just one dream: to become UFC champion," he began. "After that—I'm really, truly telling you—if I die, I don't care.
"I cannot even imagine [having the belt put on me], man. I just want to feel the reality. I am doing everything for that. I don't wanna even dream about it. I don't know what I'm gonna say, I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I know one thing for sure, I will be so happy, so relieved, and I know I will do lots of great things with the gold and with the UFC belt.
"I want to travel the world and I wanna show the people I'm just normal guy, a small guy, but I'm a hardworking, and if I work hard and I got this belt, you guys can get everything too. Just work hard and just chase your dream. Believe in yourself"
What a Win Means for O'Malley
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As one of the biggest stars in MMA, Sean O'Malley has recently started calling for lucrative opportunities outside the Octagon, such as boxing matches with stars like Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis.
He believes an impressive win over Dvalishvili will put him in a better position to get those kinds of fights down the road.
"Ryan Garcia's definitely still an option," he said. "Gervonta Davis, for me, is still an option. I would say Devin Haney's still an option, but to be honest, I just don't think that guy pulls [viewers]. I mean, Ryan whooped his ass, so probably not really him, but we got a lot of options and I enjoy being in this position."
O'Malley has also recently called for a featherweight title shot opposite new champion Ilia Topuria, but has since cooled on that idea, and would now prefer to defend his bantamweight belt a few more times, starting with a fight against streaking Russian Umar Nurmagomedov.
"The more I think about the Ilia fight, I'm like, you know what, Ilia needs me," he said. "Who's he going to fight next? [If] he goes out there and beats Max [Holloway at UFC 308], who is he going to fight next? I have guys lined up. I have big fights. Ilia needs me more than I need Ilia.
"To be honest, I don't think he's gonna get past Max anyway, so I'm kind of switching gears from that. We got guys like Umar that I think are going to be massive fights."
O'Malley and Dvalishvili Make Their Predictions
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It should come as no surprise that O'Malley and Dvalishvili have starkly differing expectations for their UFC 306 title fight.
For O'Malley, who has never been short on confidence, there was no need to ramble on about his prediction for the fight. He cut right to the chase.
"Left hand, right on the chin, face-plants him," he said. "That's how it's gonna play out."
Dvalishvili, meanwhile, had a little more to say when asked for a prediction, and ultimately spoke more about how he wants to make the champion feel, rather than how he expects to defeat him.
"I want to make Sean O'Malley humble," he said. "I want to make him look just like a normal fighter. I want to show the world he's just a regular fighter.
"I don't care if I finish him, if I will beat him by decision, I just want to show we're all normal. O'Malley say he's undefeated—that he never lost because he avenged his loss [to Marlon Vera] back, something like that—but we are all human, and we are all normal fighters. I just want to win, and I want to make him humble."
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