Laura Sanko believes the bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 will likely end before reaching the scorecards, highlighting O’Malley’s striking precision and Dvalishvili’s relentless pace and cardio.
Laura Sanko feels that the Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili bantamweight title fight won’t see the scorecards.
O’Malley and Dvalishvili will headline Saturday’s UFC 306 card at Sphere in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili has earned his opportunity after a double-digit win streak, while O’Malley looks to defend his title for the second time since stopping Dvalishvili’s teammate Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.
The UFC analyst and color commentator is fascinated by the matchup. She can see the fight ending early.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Merab wins; that’s certainly not what I’m here to say,” Sanko told MMA Fighting. “But I do favor a shorter fight, and that, to me, tells me that Sean O’Malley has found his moments to move and be a sniper.”
“I do think that we will know very quickly in this fight what it’s going to look like. That’s not to say that I think, necessarily, that Sean is going to knock him out early, [although] that’s certainly a possibility. It’s a very good possibility.”
“The other possibility is that Merab starts really putting a pace on Sean. We see Sean struggle to get his lateral movement going, and all of the things that allow him to express himself on the feet. I just think we’re going to know pretty early what direction this train leaves the station.”
O’Malley is being positioned as one of the promotion’s top stars as he prepares to headline his second pay-per-view card of 2024. “Suga” has been pushed as a top guy since earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series.
On the flip side, Dvalishvili has had to scratch and claw to earn his first championship opportunity. While not always revered by the fanbase, things have certainly changed in that department over the past couple of years — including the surprisingly long history between the challenger and O’Malley.
“The rise of Merab has been more of a crock pot rise, a little bit more of a slow cook on that one,” Sanko explained. “I love watching him figure out what works for him though. He has found a way to reach into the hearts of an American audience that probably didn’t feel all that connected to him when he first stepped inside of the octagon.”
“At the same time that his fighting has continued to get better and better and better, and his competitors have gotten better and better and better, and his wins have gotten better and better and better. He has also become more likable, and more engaging. It’s just really hard not to root for someone who is so gregarious, and likable. And that jacket moment? I’m sorry, there’s just no way you can even try to plan something like that out. It had to be organic. It was so perfect.”
There are many layers stylistically between O’Malley and Dvalishvili the further you dig. But to most fans, this appears to be the classic striker vs. grappler matchup.
Sanko is fascinated by the types of intangibles both bring to the table. On the challenger side: wild, never-stop cardio and pace, and his ability to demoralize his competition. With the champion: movement, being coachable, and excellent fight IQ.
“If there was a Mount Rushmore of pace, I promise you Merab Dvalishvili would be on it,” Sanko said. “It is a weapon in itself that not only allows you to take the fight where you want it to go but completely shuts down your opponent’s decision-making.”
“Merab’s particular style of approaching grappling is not necessarily to get the takedown, get a dominant position, and do damage… he can do that, for sure. I’m not saying that’s not a goal of his.”
“But one of the things that he is, I think, the best in the world at is almost allowing guys to get back up, then take them down again—then they kind of scramble up—and then take them down again,” she added.
“If you talk to any fighter, that up-down pace is the hardest pace of all to master.”
“That being said,” Sanko continued, “I do think Sean O’Malley has one of the best coaches for him in the entire world.”
“I think he and Tim [Welch] are the perfect pair,” she said. “And I think they’re incredibly intelligent in how they prepare for these fights.”
“They wouldn’t have asked for it if they didn’t feel like Sean was prepared to get through those moments where he would have time to operate in space,” Sanko concluded.
“Use his footwork—he’s got some of the best footwork in the entire UFC.” She paused before adding with conviction: “That’s a fact, and I’ve been saying that forever.”