NEWARK, N.J. – Merab Dvalishvili demonstrated his superiority over Sean O’Malley on Saturday night, securing a submission victory in the third round at UFC 316, held at the Prudential Center. Dvalishvili (20-4) dominated O’Malley (18-3), who was the challenger for the 135-pound title. Saturday’s fight was not competitive at all, unlike their previous encounter in September, where Dvalishvili won by unanimous decision at UFC Noche. Dvalishvili constantly pressured O’Malley, outstriking him in strikes. In the third round, he took him down and secured a D’Arce choke at 4:42. This victory represents Dvalishvili’s thirteenth consecutive, tying him for fourth place on the list of longest winning streaks in UFC history. In addition, he moved up to fourth place on the bantamweight wins list, with a total of 12.
O’Malley, who underwent hip surgery and made several changes in his life before the rematch, was respectful in defeat. He found no answer to Dvalishvili’s style. Although he showed composure and landed some threatening blows, he was quickly outmatched in all statistics. According to UFC statistics, Dvalishvili outstruck O’Malley in total strikes, 135-34, and converted five of 12 takedown attempts.I work every day and repeat. Training is the most important thing for me… No matter what you have, as long as you know where you are going and have a goal. Please, believe in your dreams and work for them. Everything is possible.
Merab Dvalishvili
This is Dvalishvili’s second defense of the 135-pound title. His first defense was against Umar Nurmagomedov in January. His next fight is expected to be against Cory Sandhagen, the number 1 contender. The fight on Saturday marked the first time O’Malley lost by submission. Dvalishvili entered the weekend as the fourth-best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in the UFC.Unfortunately, I didn’t feel it was going to go that way. Merab is a son of a b… I just feel so grateful to be able to do this. I have a two-week-old son and a 4-year-old, a perfect wife. I’m excited to go home and spend time with them. But Merab is a son of a b…
Sean O’Malley
