Merab Dvalishvili Beats Sean O'Malley By UD at UFC 306 to Win Bantamweight Title
Merab Dvalishvili brought and end to the Suga Show with a unanimous decision win over Sean O'Malley to win the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 306 from the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Dvalishvili drew first blood in the battle. The challenger held his own in a few brief striking exchanges and was able to get O'Malley to the mat a few times in the first round. There wasn't much damage done, but the tone for the bout was established.
It was more of the same for Dvalishvili in the second round, but the frame was punctuated by an odd sequence in which it appeared that Dvalishvili thought the round ended early based on Herb Dean's instruction and gave up a submission and walked away with time left on the clock.
O'Malley tried to take advantage of the confusion, but Dvalishvili avoided the surprise attack.
O'Malley looking for opportunities became a theme over the second half of the fight. Dvalishvili set a pace that didn't allow O'Malley much time to get his own offense going.
Former champion Dominick Cruz heaped some praise on Dvalishvili.
As Cruz noted, Dvalishvili's pressure was too much and suffocated the now-former champion on the way to a new era for Dvalishvili in the division.
The win is the crowning moment of a run that has been a long time coming for Dvalishvili. The 33-year-old lost his first two fights in the UFC, but rallied to win 10 consecutive fights before finally getting a shot at gold.
Dvalishvili was passed over for previous title shots but was ready once he heard his name called. He became just the second Georgian to win a UFC title (current featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is the other) and credits his hard work for his rise up the ranks.
"It will be crazy for my country," Dvalishvili said, per Kevin Schuster of UFC.com. "It means a lot for a small country for a fighter to win UFC belt. Everybody knows that I'm just a hard worker. I'm not gifted. When I win this belt, it will show people that you can just work hard and, of course, give a good example to kids and hardworking people."
Part of Dvalisvhili's winding journey was likely due to the fact that he hasn't been a great finisher. Most of his wins have come by decision and his game is more about control than damage.
However, a rivalry with O'Malley is bound to elevate his stock. O'Malley might not be the champion anymore, but he is still the most recognizable fighter in the division and it wouldn't be surprising to see him get an instant rematch.
