Merab Dvalishvili Talks Sean O’Malley Title Bout Showdown at UFC 316
Merab Dvalishvili speaks with media members at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas ahead of his UFC 316 title fight against champion Sean O’Malley.
LAS VEGAS – Everyone relax. Merab Dvalishvili is fine, according to the man himself.
Thursday at Syndicate MMA, the UFC bantamweight champion Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) partook in an open workout before he fielded questions from reporters including MMA Junkie. It’s no surprise the first one centered around his health, after he posted video of a toe injury just days ago.
“No more black and blue. Still a little fat, but it’s good,” Dvalishvili laughed. “I’m working. It’s a little pinky toe. It won’t be any problem. … That is how it was. But like my coach said, if it’s something important, I’m not going to post it. That was not important. Like I said, I have nine other toes and I’m good. … I was surprised how much reaction there was from people. It’s like, guys, it’s nothing really. It was nothing.”
The word “nothing” is relieving to hear for many, but perhaps none enjoy hearing it more than the UFC.
Dvalishvili is currently nine days out from headlining UFC 316 on June 6 against former titleholder Sean O’Malley at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The bout is a rematch of their UFC 306 meeting in September. Dvalishvili dominated the first fight, but expects an even better O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) this time out.
“Him and his coach studied our fight,” Dvalishvili said. “They know what are my strongest ways, what are my weaknesses. They have a long camp and I’m waiting and I’m accepting the best version of Sean O’Malley. That’s my job to take this fight serious. I should not look down on him because I’m ready to work. Hopefully, I’m going to make it much easier.”
Due to the one-sidedness and recency of their first meeting, the rematch booking had many fight fans scratching their heads. While the matchup seems the same at face value, Dvalishvili said he’s getting different vibes.
“It definitely feels different because the first time I was the challenger,” Dvalishvili said. “Now, I’m a champion. This time, he’s the challenger. I already beat him. In the beginning, it was hard to motivate myself to fight the same guy who I dominated. Now, I know he’s going to change a lot of things. He’s already changed his lifestyle and everything. We may see Sean defend my takedowns and we may see we go fight striking. I’m ready for that. It’s going to be a good fight, for sure.
“He’s a great striker and I can not relax one second. We all know he can crack me, or maybe I can crack him. If you guys don’t believe me, make sure to buy the pay-per-view. It’s going to be a great fight. I feel good. It’s almost time now. I feel good. On Saturday, I’m going to start the weight cut. Now, I’m still good. I’m still eating everything.”
