Sean O’Malley puts his strap to the test this weekend at UFC 306. He meets the dangerous No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili, who’s on quite a streak. While the wrestle-heavy Georgian poses his threats, ‘Suga’ is no less himself. The champion is famous for his feints and bombastic walk-off knockouts. Former two-time title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson has some ideas about that.
Dvalishvili’s volume takedowns and striking mastery are of a different kind. Merab Dvalishvili also touts quite a gas tank, shooting for lean-ins at a frantic pace without even controlled breathing. However, the sambo expert is not all-powerful enough to gauge Sean O’Malley. ‘Wonderboy’ considers ‘Suga’ to be a mix of a sniper and a literal ‘God of Destruction.’
He’s (Sean O’Malley) very crafty – he’s throwing spins kicks left and right, flying knees. Stuff that you have never seen before, and of course the hair! I think that gives him powers. It is like that dude from Dragon Ball Z – he’s one of the ‘Gods of Destruction’ I forgot his name…slash the Joker.
Stephen Thompson for UFC 306 Main Card Picks And Predictions via his YT channel (@WonderboyMMA)
Merab Dvalishvili has the most average takedown attempts in UFC competition that surprisingly passes his competition time gauges. However, the champion is not a light matter. Sean O’Malley landed 220 significant strikes at UFC 299. This is the single-fight record for a UFC bantamweight championship scrap. He even won the 2024 ESPY for Best UFC Fighter Award for it.
‘Suga’ and his array of feints, striking mastery, and even swift strikes are just something else. It once caught on prime comparison to karate-man ‘Wonderboy’ himself after his unanimous win over Geoff Neal. O’Malley even knocked the breath out of Aljamain Sterling at the UFC 292 pay-per-view similarly. Such small bursts of destructive power make him quite a force.
UFC 306 Noche pre-fight facts: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
The UFC 306 (Noche UFC) annual PPV carries tremendous stakes and odds. The fighters themselves carry tremendous skills, going into the championship double header this weekend. When yet another Noche UFC rolls in, in just over two cycles, the skill-to-skill testing is to tear through the roof.
Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili takes place in just over two days (Source: boxemag.com/es.agfight.com)Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) lost out on his first two bouts in the UFC competition. From there on, the Serra-Longo Fight Team freestyle wrestler has been unbeaten in the six years with 10 straight wins. He has wins over Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes, Cody Stamann, John Dodson, Casey Kenney, and Raufeon Stots. His win streak already ties with former champ Aljo.
Dvalishvili is the only fighter to register 10 or more takedowns in four separate UFC bouts. His 49 attempted takedowns at UFC Fight Night 221 is the single-most on-flight record in competition. However, coaches and pundits veer to Sean O’Malley’s fast pace and potently acute striking to overcome this.
Even Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood thinks Merab Dvalishvili is on a late stage to train with anyone to gauge the power and speed. He lunges too further with his shots and loses balance in his shots. Meanwhile, ‘Suga’ is a beast of a different kind. A laid-back fluid striker, he engages in lot of mid-range feints to tee off actual shots.
Sean O’Malley has the second-best-rated significant strikes landed in UFC history. Initially on the down low, O’Malley (-130) has leaped over the betting underdog ‘Machine’ (+110) – for the UFC 306 fight week. As of now, it’s anyone’s game during this bantamweight title scrap.
