UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley expects an early night in his title scrap against Merab Dvalishvili. ‘Suga’ meets him at the UFC 306 PPV headliner, dubbed Riyadh Season Noche UFC. While Dvalishvili’s high-octane all-wrestle style is something the 135-pound champ should worry about, he does not. As a matter of fact, coach Tim Welch remains confident in overcoming the Georgian fighter.
Dvalishvili’s grappling game has caused serious problems for his opponents. Most recently, he was capable of taking down Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo multiple times at UFC 298. Meanwhile, coach Tim Welch has had some corporeally charged trash talk with Dvalishvili. But from a tactile standpoint, not out of spite, Welch says they have some things planned against those takedowns.
[Merab is] Decent on the pads, but one thing I always watch is how much their feet moving…How much is their feet moving…Hit the paddles, boom…boom. Nothing too scary. Merab’s good at punching, just to disguise those shots…just to get in [for takedown]…The amount of times I’ve watched him fight Jose Aldo or Petr Yan, …we got some secret things planned.
Tim Welch via his Official YT Channel (@TimWelchMT)
Now on a 10-fight winning streak, the Georgian fighter’s speed is apparent. Though Welch’s analysis of Dvalishvili’s fights against speedy strikers appears to be true, it’s not entirely accurate. Dvalishvili has had success against some of the UFC’s top strikers, such as Jose Aldo and Marlon Moraes.
However, landing strikes on opponents remains one aspect Dvalishvili struggles with. After a takedown on Aldo or Petr Yan, who shot to kill, Dvalishvili struggled to tee off multiple shots to keep them in check. In fact, he couldn’t takedown Aldo at all. Meanwhile, he was 11/49 against Yan in takedowns. In both instances, the Georgian star overwhelmed his opponents to win the bout.
Holding a takedown or a build-up could prove tough against a violent and fast striker like Sean O’Malley. Recently, O’Malley’s head coach and Merab Dvalishvili have been at the center of a heated exchange. So it might just happen that the imposition on the perceived weakness might just be Welch playing mind games again. However, he says that he knows Dvalishvili’s ‘Kryptonite.’
Tim Welch weighs in on Merab Dvalishvili’s Kryptonite ahead of UFC 306
The MMA clique and pundits are not surprised that with his explosive vigor, Merab Dvalishvili is a favorite over O’Malley. DraftKings, however, says the odds are now even with the gap closing in. O’Malley is just the slightest of outsiders at -105 against Dvalishvili, who is favored at -115 for Noche UFC (UFC 306). However, the champion is oozing with confidence. Why is Sean O’Malley so sure?
Sean O’Malley’s speed will be a factor vs. Merab Dvalishvili (Source: X/bjpenn.com)Is it because O’Malley. 29, made his maiden title defense and recently won the 2024 ESPY for Best UFC Fighter Award? Is he just having a better camp? ‘Suga’ says it’s because he can find anyone’s chin with his definitive striking. Subsequently, he plans to give Dvalishvili the same fate as Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. Tim Welch backs up his fighter’s speed and striking and bills it as the worst thing for Dvalishvili.
I believe it’s going to be the tall, lanky, fast striker who can keep their distance so well. He’s so fast and has so much confidence in all four of his limbs; he can hit from where you’re not even prepared. His eyes are so good, his reaction time is so good, and I think that’s going to be Merab’s Kryptonite tonight.
Tim Welch to Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
For a number of times now, Welch has alluded to the striking of other bantamweights like Jose Aldo and Petr Yan and how they strike with a kill shot. Meanwhile, the fighter out of Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, attacks in low volumes only to follow up with his Judo trips and combat sambo wrestling. Come this Noche UFC (UFC 306), Welch thinks ‘Machine’ will find trouble doing the same against the speedy O’Malley.
