Sean O’Malley is looking to make a mark at UFC 306. The champ will defend his belt for the 2nd time as he takes on Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili has earned the right to fight for the title following his dominant performances against the top contenders in the division.
But despite this, the champ believes he will finish him off early, so much so that he has been at it for weeks now. This fight will be a test of O’Malley’s grappling prowess, especially his takedown defense. The Georgian is a very dominant fighter on the ground, making the likes of Henry Cejudo look like amateurs.
He also has knockout power in his punches. Despite these different threats that ‘The Machine’ poses, ‘Sugar’ has not wavered from his prediction as he had this to say on X, Despite the apparent bravado, this will be O’Malley’s toughest test as champion. To put it in perspective, in his last fight, ‘The Machine’ made a former double champ, and Olympic gold medalist look like he was an kid inside the octagon.
However, the champ has his own set of weapons, an arsenal of them and according to this legendary MMA coach, ‘The Machine’ will have to eat some punches. Ray Longo reveals how Merab can beat O’Malley Merab Dvalishvili’s chin has not really been put to the test in his UFC career so far. Although he has been hit, he hasn’t been hit by someone as accurate and clinical as Sean O’Malley.
Ahead of their UFC 306 fight, legendary MMA coach Ray Longo broke down the fight. I.