Max Holloway points out "one hole" in Merab Dvalishvili's game that could heavily cost him against Sean O'Malley, shares official prediction
Max Holloway recently weighed in on the upcoming Sean O'Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili fight at Noche UFC 306. While Holloway shed light on the challenger's biggest weapons, he also pointed out a hole in Dvalishvili's game that O'Malley could potentially exploit.
Holloway previewed the entire fight card of the Sept.14 event on his YouTube channel. He asserted that while Dvalishvili has great cardio and a fighting style defined by his relentless pressure, he pointed out 'The Machine's defensive oversights which could cost him in the fight against O'Malley. Holloway said:
"[Merab has] great cardio, great pressure, great fighter... But one hole in his game in his game that we've seen over and over again is he gets caught. It's almost like he gets caught early and then he turns on, and then it's a fight."
Holloway also made his pick for the fight by factoring in the hole in Dvalishvili's game:
"If there's one guy in the [bantamweight] division that you do not want to get caught by in Sean [O'Malley]. Other guys tease Sean like he's skinny and lanky, and looks brittle, blah, blah, blah... That's just who he is! You cannot take away that this guy can fight. This guy can crack. He knocks people out. He's a sharpshooter. People have been asking me and waiting for [my] pick... I'm going Sean."
Catch Holloway's comments below (9:20):
In the past, Dvalishvili has been caught with the left hook early in his fights against Marlon Moraes and Henry Cejudo. He revealed that he was the most hurt in his career in the Moraes fight and had to dig deep to bounce back with a TKO win in the second round of their UFC 266 clash. Against Cejudo, Dvalishvili out-grappled Cejudo, a former American Olympic gold medalist, and won the fight by unanimous decision.
Daniel Cormier believes Sean O'Malley holds the advantage fighting in the Sphere against Merab Dvalishvili
Sean O'Malley will lock horns with Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC's first and potentially last show on the iconic Sphere in Las Vegas. The pair is all set to headline the Noche UFC 306 card which goes down on Sept.14.
Having competed under the bright lights on several occasions and sustaining the momentum of headling two pay-per-view events in the last two outings, O'Malley's star power is undeniable. UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier believes that O'Malley's ability to perform his best under the glare of the brightest lights could prove to be the differentiating factor. Speaking in an interview with ESPN MMA, Cormier said:
“He [Sean O'Malley] brings the show. This time, he doesn’t necessarily need to bring the show, but because he’s been such an attraction, he will feel more comfortable in that environment. Merab’s fights, not very long ago, he was fighting Petr Yan in the Virgin Hotel. That’s a smaller arena. Now he’s stepping into the Sphere to fight Sean O’Malley for the belt.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]
Catch Cormier's comments below: