Merab Dvalishvili wants to show the world that he’s much more than just a wrestler.
UFC News: Merab Dvalishvili Targets Coach after Sean O’Malley Title Fight
“The Machine” is on a mean streak in the UFC’s bantamweight division, winning 10 fights in a row to solidify himself as the #1 contender and what looks to be a long-awaited title shot against UFC Champion Sean O’Malley later this year.
While Dvalishvili hasn’t got a date for the title fight just yet, he and “Suga” are both pushing for a return at The Sphere for Riyadh Season Noche UFC 2 on Sep. 14th, as are many other fighters on the roster wanting a spot on the one-off, $17M+ event, commemorating Mexican Independence Day.
Whether it’s at The Sphere or somewhere else, Dvalishvili says he’ll dictate where the fight takes place inside the Octagon. He boldly claims that he’ll try to beat O’Malley at his own game in the striking rather than use his notorious wrestling.
“This is my dream fight, and this is perfect time to fight him,” Dvalishvili said on Michael Bisping’s YouTube channel. “What’s gonna happen is, now I’m gonna show everybody my striking. And, yeah, I have a recipe [to beat him], but now I wanna prove my striking, and I wanna go punch him in the face because he thinks I’m gonna wrestle. No, I’m gonna punch.”
As you might imagine, former UFC Champion Michael Bisping and his co-host Anthony Smith had a hard time believing what Dvalishvili had to say….
“I don’t believe you,” Smith told Dvalishvili. “You’re full of s***, no way. Not a chance… Probably not a great game plan.”
In stark contrast to Dvalishvili, O’Malley is known for his exceptional striking. With 11 knockouts on his professional record, O’Malley has stood his ground against former champion Petr Yan and beat the brakes off of Marlon Vera in his last fight at UFC 299.
The biggest highlight of O’Malley’s career thus far came against Dvalishvili’s closest teammate and then-champ Aljamain Sterling, knocking him down with a beautiful counter right hand and following it up with punches for the TKO victory to become the new UFC Bantamweight Champion at UFC 292.
It’s not too late for Dvalishvili to take the path of least resistance against O’Malley, using his effective arsenal that has got him this far into his UFC career. Still, the #1 contender is set on proving a point against the more seasoned striker in “Suga” if his words hold true on fight night.
“Technically, yeah, you’re right,” Dvalishvili responded to Smith, saying it’s not a good idea to stand with O’Malley. “Stylistically, I have to beat him [with] wrestling, good cardio, close the distance, and clinch. But, I still respect his striking. Aljo was supposed to beat him, too, but we all see, like, sometimes, not always the best fighter wins, right? I think I’m better guy, but, I have to respect his striking… if he got me [hurt], if he land [on] me. And, yeah, I have to respect his striking, but I believe in myself.”
Dvalishvili has only won by knockout once since entering the UFC in 2017, in a wild firefight with Marlon Moraes in 2021. Every other fight has reached the final bell inside the Octagon.
That being said, do you think Merab Dvalishvili will follow through with this game plan, or will the Georgian stick to what he’s best at in the wrestling department?
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