Merab Dvalishvili lived up to his promise of an even better performance in his rematch against Sean O’Malley, securing a submission victory in the third round. The finish came via a severe choke in the main event of UFC 316.
The Georgian fighter exhibited his characteristic relentless pressure and repeated takedown attempts throughout the bout. Sean O’Malley, to his credit, showcased significantly improved wrestling defense. However, he ultimately could not prevent Dvalishvili from controlling the grappling exchanges, which eventually led to the conclusion of the fight.
After taking the fight back to the canvas in the third round, Dvalishvili identified an opening for a guillotine choke. O’Malley`s attempt to roll free inadvertently tightened the champion`s hold. With no viable escape route, O`Malley was forced to tap out at 4:42 of the third round.
Following his latest triumph, Dvalishvili exclaimed, “I’m at the pinnacle, I am a world champion! I started with nothing. What you possess doesn`t matter as long as you have direction and a goal. Please, trust in your aspirations. Anything is achievable.”
He added, “He came well-prepared. I anticipated him making adjustments. I`ve learned from every loss and made significant changes. But I`m continually improving. Now, this is my era.”
Despite O’Malley’s diligent efforts to make tactical adjustments, Dvalishvili consistently found answers, maintaining control until he secured the fight-ending sequence.
The fight commenced with O’Malley attempting to use constant movement to disrupt the champion, striking and immediately circling away to deter Dvalishvili’s shots. While O’Malley landed a good lead jab, Dvalishvili’s pressure was simply relentless. He landed a stiff left hand that stung the former champion before achieving the first takedown of the fight.
Dvalishvili continued to press forward, bringing O’Malley down again. This time, he was able to maintain position and began landing elbows and punches from inside O`Malley`s guard.
As the second round began on the feet, O’Malley tried to strike from range, but Dvalishvili was undeterred. He pushed forward and unleashed a significant combination of his own. With O’Malley on the defensive, Dvalishvili was constantly pursuing him across the cage, although he still had to be mindful of O`Malley`s power while closing the distance.
While O’Malley`s takedown defense had improved, he was absorbing some hard punches from Dvalishvili, who seemed to be throwing strikes with notably more confidence in this second meeting.
Inevitably, Dvalishvili managed to close the distance again. This time, O’Malley couldn`t fend him off. Dvalishvili lifted O’Malley off the canvas and slammed him down forcefully. From this dominant position, Dvalishvili peppered O’Malley with punches and elbows, adding several knees to the body for good measure.
Without an immediate submission threat, O’Malley briefly scrambled free. However, Dvalishvili swiftly regained control and took him down once more. On this final takedown, Dvalishvili recognized the perfect opening for his powerful guillotine choke. O’Malley had little opportunity to defend before the submission hold was fully locked in.
O’Malley attempted to break free, but Dvalishvili somehow managed to sink the choke even deeper, ending the fight just moments later. It was another remarkable performance from Dvalishvili, securing his second victory over O’Malley. The former champion acknowledged Dvalishvili`s performance post-fight.
“I didn’t anticipate the fight unfolding in that manner,” O’Malley commented on the loss. “Merab is a tough opponent. I simply wanted to stay and express gratitude to everyone who attended and showed support. Without you all, none of this would be feasible… I feel extremely grateful at this moment…”
He added, “I have a two-week-old and a four-year-old at home, plus a wonderful wife. So I`m eager to return home and spend time with them, but Merab is definitely a challenging fighter.”
Extending his impressive winning streak to 13 fights, Dvalishvili immediately shifted his focus to Cory Sandhagen, who was seated cage-side. Dvalishvili identified Sandhagen as the most deserving contender remaining in the bantamweight division.
Addressing Sandhagen, Dvalishvili stated, “You’re the man, let’s compete. He’s the most deserving contender. He’s a genuinely good person, and I appreciate his humor as well.”
