MMA Knockout

Sean O'Malley is "Nightmare Matchup" for Merab Dvalishvili

UFC bantamweight Sean O'Malley broke down how he'll beat Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306.

Zain Bando

Sean O'Malley steps inside the Octagon for a UFC title defense.
Sean O'Malley steps inside the Octagon for a UFC title defense. / (via Zuffa LLC)

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1, 1 NC UFC) said he is confident he will make quick work of Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) when the pair meet next Saturday in Las Vegas, Nev. at the MSG Sphere.

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Speaking to TMZ in an interview posted Sunday, O'Malley, who makes his second appearance in a sixth-month timeframe, fired back at critics who said the champion would struggle with Dvalishvili.

"I would say, stylistically, that I am a nightmare matchup for Merab," O'Malley said.

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Despite O'Malley praising Dvalishvili, he said he isn't the fighter people think he is because he and Aljamain Sterling are teammates. According to O'Malley, he believes there isn't much advice Sterling could give to help Dvalishvili get his hand raised.

"I mean, I don't know what Ajo is going to tell Merab," O'Malley said. "He's like, 'F***, he's fast, he's sharp. He's accurate. He's hard to takedown. Like, good luck.' There wasn't a lot of success Aljo had in that fight. If anything, Aljo probably shouldn't tell him anything because it's probably gonna just make him a little bit nervous. So, you know, who knows? Aljo probably hopes I beat Merab because it makes Aljo look better."

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O'Malley knocked out Sterling last August to win the bantamweight title before exacting revenge at UFC 299 against Marlon Vera.

O'Malley said while he is looking forward to the glitz and glamour of the MSG Sphere, which UFC CEO Dana White has dubbed as a "love letter" to Mexican fighting, his only focus is getting through Dvalishvili to maintain his status as the sport's best bantamweight.

For now, only time will tell, as the UFC has repeatedly stated its trip to the MSG Sphere will be a one-in-done event, as it will continue its annual four-event deal with T-Mobile Arena to host pay-per-views moving forward.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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