High bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili challenges champion Sean O’Malley for the 135-pound title within the UFC 306 foremost occasion on Saturday.
O’Malley is a precision striker with 12 of his 18 wins coming by knockout. Dvalishvili is a stress fighter with seemingly limitless conditioning. O’Malley predicts that he’ll cease Dvalishvili early however “The Machine” is just not involved about O’Malley’s placing.
“O’Malley’s for certain an excellent striker,” Dvalishvili informed Kevin Iole. “He is good. His footwork is sweet, however I do not suppose it is going to have an effect on me together with his model. I believe I’ll break him. I’ll catch him and I’ll break him.”
“I am the No. 1 contender. I am preventing for the belt and I am good all over the place and even placing after I have to strike,” Dvalishvili stated. “I beat Jose Aldo. I wasn’t capable of take him down and I beat him. Meaning I can strike too.”
O’Malley captured the 135-pound title by defeating Dvalishvili’s teammate, Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August 2023. He efficiently defended the belt at UFC 299 in March, avenging a earlier loss to Marlon Vera in one-sided trend.
Dvalishvili is using a 10-fight profitable streak and has been the highest contender within the division for a while however wouldn’t combat his coaching accomplice, Sterling. “The Machine” hasn’t misplaced a combat since April 2018.