Sean O'Malley paints a violent picture for Merab Dvalishvili as he gives official prediction for UFC 306
Sean O'Malley recently shared his thoughts on his upcoming fight against Merab Dvalishvili and predicted a violent knockout victory over the Georgian fighter. O'Malley also speculated that Dvalishvili would get "hurt" in their fight.
O'Malley is set to face Dvalishvili in a bantamweight title fight at UFC 306 at The Sphere in Las Vegas next month. This would mark O'Malley's second title defense as the 135-pound king after previously beating Marlon Vera via unanimous decision at UFC 299 in March.
It's worth noting that there's no love lost between O'Malley and Dvalishvili, and the two have taken shots at each other on social media over the past few weeks. Personal insults and threats of violence have marked the build-up to their fight. Given their heated rivalry, it's no surprise that 'Suga' is looking for a knockout win over his next opponent.
During a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow podcast, O'Malley was asked to share his prediction for the Dvalishvili fight. The Montana native foresaw a statement knockout win and stated:
"I know I'm going to hurt him eventually. At one point, I'm going to hurt him, but then it could turn into a brutal just KO, just an absolute not a good weight cut, not a good camp, and he just gets slept bad, like that [Li] Jingliang. Like one of those, five or six punches just to add up, and the last one just puts him to the canvas snoring. Nose crooked, cats screaming."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below:
Sean O'Malley's coach Tim Welch discusses being impressed with Merab Dvalishvili
Sean O'Malley is undeniably among the best strikers in the UFC today and is known for his flashy fighting style. However, his longtime coach and friend Tim Welch believes Merab Dvalishvili could push 'Suga' to his limits and praised the Georgian fighter's wrestling performance against Petr Yan in March 2023.
During an interview with Red Corner MMA, Welch shared his thoughts on Dvalishvili's fighting skills and style. Lauding 'The Machine' for his dominant performance over fighters like Yan and Henry Cejudo, Welch said:
"Anyone who can dominate Petr Yan for 25 minutes—not necessarily beat him up, but control him and prevent him from beating you up—is an absolute animal... He beat Jose Aldo, he beat Henry Cejudo. He threw around Henry Cejudo like Henry didn't almost know how to wrestle. So, he's an absolute freakshow and he's got a gas tank that makes everyone nervous like he can push the pace."
Check out Tim Welch's comments below: