Merab Dvalishvili’s Bantamweight GOAT Debate Solidifies as Major Problem in Sean O’Malley’s UFC 316 Preparation Revealed

UFC 306 witnessed the rise of Merab Dvalishvili over Sean O’Malley. He didn’t just win the bout via a unanimous decision, but he also dominated the cage. On top of that, ‘The Machine’ humiliated ‘Suga’ in the worst possible way. It didn’t feel like he was fighting seriously. But that was also the awakening phase for O’Malley. He quit social media and s——. And he seemingly made sure to train to counter Dvalishvili’s grappling. But is that going to be enough? 

On the recent episode of the Pound4Pound podcast, Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo weighed in on the upcoming battle. And the debate began when the former welterweight champion asked ‘Triple C’ to talk about his thoughts. After all, Cejudo did experience the power that Dvalishvili carried around through their fight at UFC 298. Needless to say, ‘Triple C’ stood up for his former opponent. 

He claimed, “Merab’s gas tank is just different, bro. And I personally feel like his level changes. He has to fight the same fight, but just stay away from the right hand, stay away from that front kick, and he’s good. If he can protect his body, keep his hands up, it’s a fight that only Merab could lose. But this is MMA, bro. And if they’re giving Sean another opportunity after getting 50-45, I mean, he does have a chance.” Cejudo believed that ‘Suga’ got the title shot served on a silver platter. Well, he didn’t really have to fight any of the top 5 bantamweight contenders before getting the rematch. 

But Cejudo had already decided on the victor. He opined, “But could he get the job done? Of course. But he’s gonna have to do it within those first 2, because if he doesn’t, it’s going to be the exact same fight. And Merab’s confidence of knowing what he could do to him and take him down, it’s just there. So, for that reason, I have Merab Dvalishvili via decision, all 5 rounds, 50-45.” 

On the other hand, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ gave O’Malley the chance he arguably deserved. He told ‘Triple C’ about a video where he saw ‘Suga’ break down his bout against Dvalishvili. Usman noticed the way O’Malley processed it all. This made him believe that the bout at UFC 306 was way closer than what many assumed. He did admit that Dvalishvili dominated the ground game throughout the 5 rounds. However, ‘Suga’ never really received any significant damage. But ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ couldn’t keep Dvalishvili waiting.

He acknowledged his confidence after he defeated Umar Nurmagomedov. It was indeed a bout that everyone thought the Dagestani would win. Usman continued, “I think he has solidified himself as the champ. He’s carrying 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.” 

So, O’Malley has to prepare himself according to the dangers he might face at UFC 316. Kamaru Usman claimed that he was more prepared now that he’d already faced Dvalishvili once. That’s when Cejudo jumped in and said, “I think the biggest thing with O’Malley is, did he formulate his camp correctly? Again, there’s a lot of birdies out there. I’m gonna say here on Pound4Pound, he’s just working Jiu-Jitsu. He’s not working his get-up, his stand-up. He’s not investing in his camp. He’s not bringing in guys for money. He’s bringing all these Arizona kids that have big mouths. The thing, though, it’s true. It’s 100% true. Maybe he’s cheap. He wants to keep everything in house. And when you do that, when you do that, Kamaru, s— gets after.” 

Of course, things are looking great for ‘The Machine’ as we approach the date for the rematch. But does everyone feel that Dvalishvili will be the victor at UFC 316? Let’s take a look at what the former middleweight champ and fight analyst, Michael Bisping, had to say. 

Michael Bisping chooses the BW GOAT before Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley rematch

Not too long ago, ‘The Count’ had a conversation with TNT Sports, where he opined on the bantamweight GOAT. When the host dropped Dominick Cruz’s name, Bisping had no choice but to acknowledge. He believed that Cruz deserved all the respect and credit that he could get. But the 48-year-old had a different name in his mind. Speaking of UFC 316, he pointed out that apart from Cory Sandhagen, Dvalishvili has almost cleaned the division. Yes, he did name Marlon Moraes, Cody Stamann, and John Dodson, too. But the message was clear. 

Dvalishvili had defeated the likes of O’Malley, Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo. Bisping said, “But his last five fights are all pretty much former champions, outside of Umar Nurmagomedov, who was undefeated, who was seen as the next coming of Khabib, the next guy to be the champion, and all the rest of it. And he didn’t just beat him—he dominated him, and he made it look relatively easy. I think Merab Dvalishvili is one of the greatest bantamweights that we’ve ever seen.”

Merab Dvalishvili does have the support of the majority. With a 12-fight win streak, he has been dominating the bantamweight realm for ages. But is he really the greatest bantamweight of all time? Well, we’ll have to see that for ourselves on Saturday night. But we have to consider one thing. Even though Cejudo had some harsh truths to say about O’Malley’s preparation, he has sacrificed a lot. His demeanor has changed as well. What we’ll have to see is if all those steps will help him at UFC 316.

Who do you think will win the main event at UFC 316? Will history repeat itself with Dvalishvili winning the bout via a unanimous decision? Or will O’Malley claim the belt back with a finisher? Let us know what you think in the comments down below. 

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