Dvalishvili has the most takedowns landed in the history of the bantamweight division and is currently ranked third all-time across all weight classes. Simply put, his elite wrestling stands as his best chance to defeat Sean O’Malley, who holds multiple striking records at 135 pounds.
If Merab Dvalishvili really plans to abandon his wrestling and strike with reigning bantamweight titleholder Sean O’Malley, then I’ll probably take out a second mortgage on my house and bet every last dime on “Suga.”
No disrespect to “The Machine,” but the champion is a prolific finisher with double-digit knockout wins. That includes his stunning, second-round stoppage over ex-champ Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 last summer in Boston.
Sterling is Merab’s primary training partner.
“This is my dream fight and the perfect time to fight him,” Dvalishvili said on the “Believe You Me” podcast with hosts Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping. “What’s going to happen is now I’m going to show everybody my striking. Yeah, I have wrestling, but now I want to prove my striking. And I want to go punch his face because he thinks I’m going to wrestle him. No, I’m going to punch.”
“I don’t believe you,” Smith replied. “Merab, you are full of sh*t,” Bisping added.
“Stylistically, I have to beat him wrestling, good cardio, close the distance, and clinch,” Dvalishvili continued. “I have to respect his striking, but I believe in myself. I respect all my opponents, especially him. He is the champion, he has the confidence, he has the reach, he has experience, he has knockout power, he has good technique, a good coach, but I have to beat his coach too.”
Dvalishvili, 33, has three knockouts in 17 wins.
“The Machine” is expected to fight O’Malley at Noche UFC inside The Sphere in September.