Sean O’Malley thinks Merab Dvalishvili and his fans are in for a rude awakening at UFC 306.
After securing a dominant decision victory over Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in March, ‘Sugar’ is set to defend his bantamweight belt on September 14 against the man many believe will be his toughest test to date. Dvalishvili has been running through the division for years, securing 10 straight victories, including noteworthy wins over Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo.
With his first shot at UFC gold right around the corner, ‘The Machine’ is brimming with a confidence that O’Malley believes is nothing short of misguided.
“(This) fight is not going to go the way he thinks it’s going to go,” O’Malley said during a recent interview with the promotion. “This fight is going to end brutal. The way he blitzes in, the ways he’s sloppy. He is slow. It is not going to end well for him. I do not understand where the confidence comes from. I know he’s beat a bunch of guys, but he’s never fought anyone like me.”
Sean O’Malley Ready to prove the haters wrong once again against ‘The Machine’
While pundits have continued to laud Dvalishvili’s grappling game in the months leading up to their clash, many of them seem to have forgotten O’Malley’s decision win over former champion Petr Yan, who often takes a similar approach to ‘The Machine’ inside the Octagon.
And, of course, you can’t forget about O’Malley’s memorable TKO against Aljamain Sterling, who brings one of the most dangerous ground attacks in all of mixed martial arts.
“I’ve heard so many people say he is the hardest fight in the division for me, and I disagree,” O’Malley said. “That’ll be sweet to be able to go out there and put his lights out. That’s a good feeling. People are going to be very, very surprised when I do it.”
Fans are seemingly in agreement with O’Malley as evidenced by the fight odds which have seen Dvalishvili go from a -125 favorite at opening to a slight underdog. According to DraftKings, ‘Sugar’ is favored at -130 while ‘The Machine’ is sitting at +110 with ample time for those odds to widen ahead of fight night.
