Merab Dvalishvili, having earned his title shot through hard work and a ten-fight winning streak, is confident yet respectful of Sean O’Malley‘s abilities, aiming to surprise everyone with a knockout in their upcoming fight.
Merab Dvalishvili gets how the game works.
MMA is a sport built on wins and losses, almost as much as popularity and hype. Fighters like UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley find fame quickly and get a bigger push from promotions like the UFC. Others have to work twice as hard to get noticed.
Put Dvalishvili into that latter category. He had to rattle off 10 wins in a row, including three victories over former UFC champions, to finally get his shot at the title. He’s not bitter about it, though. Dvalishvili knows it’ll mean that much more when he finally wraps that gold belt around his waist.
“I will be so proud,” Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. “Because I know I don’t get nothing handed to me. I had to work for everything that I got and I will be very proud. I’m already proud of myself and I know and all the true MMA fans know. I’m here and fighting hard. I don’t have pressure or anything. It will be special for me. But first I have to win this fight.”
“This is a tough challenge for me. Sean O’Malley is a good fighter and that’s why I always wanted to fight him. I want to win this fight and be organic. I don’t want to overthink or be cocky. First, I have to win this fight and then we can talk. One thing is for sure, I’m working hard and very hungry.”
In the lead-up to the fight, Dvalishvili has shown confidence that he’s going to become champion. But he acknowledges O’Malley isn’t just going to roll over.
On the flipside, O’Malley has promised a first-round knockout repeatedly. Dvalishvili says he’s heard it all before—how he’s going to get dispatched just like Aljamain Sterling.
O’Malley finished Sterling inside two rounds to win the UFC title. But Dvalishvili reminds the outspoken champ that as much as he values his friend and teammate, they’re not the same fighters.
“That’s their problem—they are too cocky,” Dvalishvili said. “Even Sean told me during the faceoff [at a promotional shoot for UFC 306], ‘what’s going to be different between you and Aljo? I’m going to knock you out the same way.’ First of all, you didn’t knock Aljo out. Yes, you dropped him and Marc Goddard stopped the fight early.”
“Second of all, every fight is different. If you fought Aljo 10 more times, I believe he would beat you nine times. Same with me.”
“Don’t underestimate me. I’m a fighter. Hard work got me here—you’ve got to show respect.”
“If you don’t show respect, see what I did against Petr Yan? Same thing will happen with Sean O’Malley.”
“Yan didn’t show respect—I made him humble.”
“I don’t like bullies or people who look down on others.”
“We’re fighters—we’re the same.”
“Maybe I’m even better than him.”
On paper, UFC 306 looks like a classic “striker versus grappler” matchup: O’Malley prefers punches while Dvalishvili uses high-paced wrestling.
But Dvalishvili believes his striking is vastly underrated by O’Malley and his camp.
“I want to knock Sean O’Malley out,” Dvalishvili declared. “I will knock him out. You guys will be surprised.”
“Watch this fight—you’ll see.”
“People think I’m just a grappler—I’ll show different skills.”
“I’ll knock him out; I’ll outstrike him.”
“You guys will see—I’m gonna f*ck him up too.”
Of course, Dvalishvili isn’t revealing his full strategy but he’s been working tirelessly on new techniques.
That includes “Mexican style” boxing—aimed at surprising O’Malley on his feet.
Maybe it’s mental warfare—to distract O’Malley from Dvalishvili’s takedowns.
Then again, maybe Dvalishvili truly believes O’Malley’s hubris will bite back.
“One thing is for sure,” Dvalishvili said, “I’m working hard and very hungry.”
“I’m going to surprise a lot of people.”
“Looking for the knockout—don’t be surprised if it happens.”