Former UFC double champion makes definitive prediction for Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2
A former two-division UFC champion recently shared his prediction for the bantamweight title rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley. The rematch is scheduled to headline UFC 316, which takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, this Saturday.
Dvalishvili and O'Malley last fought in the main event of Noche UFC 306, which saw 'The Machine' earn a unanimous decision win to become the new bantamweight champion. Since then, the Georgian successfully retained his championship with another impressive unanimous decision win over Umar Nurmagomedov.
O'Malley has been open about dealing with an injury in their first encounter and is much more confident ahead of the rematch. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili is eager to win in a more decisive fashion.
In the latest episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo predicted that Dvalishvili will once again get the win over O'Malley to earn his second successful title defense. Cejudo mentioned that 'Suga's' best opportunity will come early in the fight and if he doesn't capitalize, he believes 'The Machine' will take over the fight. He said:
"I think it's total domination from Merab's side. You could train for styles like Sean, but could you train for Merab? And I think that's harder... Could he get the job done? Of course. He's gonna have to do it within those first two [rounds] cause if he doesn't, it's gonna be the exact same fight and Merab's confidence of knowing what he could do to him, take him down, it's just there."
Check out Henry Cejudo's comments below:
Kamaru Usman says it will be difficult for Sean O'Malley to defeat Merab Dvalishvili
Kamaru Usman also believes it will be difficult for Sean O'Malley to dethrone Merab Dvalisvhili in their rematch at UFC 316.
In the aforementioned clip, Usman explained his reasoning and mentioned that Dvalishvili's confidence is at an all-time high, especially following his latest performance:
"Yes, of course, [O'Malley] did get taken down. Did he really take any really significant damage in that fight? But, I think Merab's confidence after getting through a fight like Umar Nurmagomedov. He has solidified himself as the champ, he's still training just as hard. I think it's gonna be extremely difficult to grab that belt off of him."
Check out the promo for UFC 316 featuring Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley below: