Merab Dvalishvili reacts to Halle Berry and other celebrities picking Sean O'Malley to win ahead of UFC 306
It looks like Merab Dvalishvili got to revel in a bit of an 'I told you so' moment following his win at Noche UFC 306. Many popular celebrities including Hollywood star Halle Berry had discounted 'The Machine's' chances against Sean O'Malley ahead of the pay-per-view.
When UFC quizzed the 'Catwoman' actress on her prediction for the main event, she picked O'Malley, claiming:
"[I]'am going with O'Malley largely because of his distance management and his punching accuracy. Merab can get people down but I think he has a hard time holding them down. I think it's going to be a stoppage or unanimous decision for O'Malley."
Not only Berry, but popular celebrities including Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, NFL star Maxx Crosby, Sportscaster Stephen A. Smith, and comedians Theo Von, and Bert Kreischer among others also picked the flamboyant American to get the job done.
Check out Halle Berry and other celebrity's predictions for the UFC 306 main event below:
However, this past weekend at the Las Vegas Sphere 'The Machine' thoroughly dominated O'Malley to capture the bantamweight gold via a unanimous decision. The Georgian's insane cardio and offensive wrestling proved too much for 'Sugar' to handle.
While the Montana native was largely successful in getting back to his feet after being taken down in the earlier rounds, prolonged grappling exchanges left him a bit winded, unable to handle Dvalishvili's onslaught in the later half of the fight.
In a recent Instagram story, the newly crowned champion clapped back at the celebrities for picking against him, writing:
"If you don't know, now you know."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's response below:
Merab Dvalishvili equals record at UFC 306
Making his title win at UFC 306 all the sweeter, Merab Dvalishvili has also equaled a notable record at the pay-per-view. 'The Machine' has now won nine of his UFC fights via decision, equaling Raphael Assuncao's record for the most decision wins at bantamweight.
The 33-year-old boasts an overall pro-MMA record of 18-4 with three knockouts, one submission, and fourteen decision wins to his name.
Interestingly, if Sean O'Malley had pulled off a knockout win at the event, he would've equaled former champion T.J. Dillashaw's record for the most knockout wins in the division, with nine KO/TKOs.