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Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili Preview & Picks – O’Malley To Win By KO At UFC 306

By Leigh Copson

09 Sep 2024

Leigh Copson 09 Sep 2024

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Sean O'Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili picks for Saturday, September 14
UFC 306 is taking place at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada
Preview, predictions, stats & form

Sean O'Malley (Getty Images)

Sean O'Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili Preview & Picks

Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili Preview & Picks
Sean O’Malley Form
Merab Dvalishvili Form

Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili Preview & Picks

Sean O’Malley is tipped to retain the bantamweight title via knockout.

O’Malley’s speed and movement makes him tough to take down, and his power will punish Merab Dvalishvili when he looks to get this fight to the mat.

Sean O’Malley is unbeaten in his last 7 fights
6 of Sean O’Malley’s last 8 victories have been via KO/TKO
Sean O’Malley lands 7.62 significant strikes per minute (Dvalishvili 4.50)
Sean O’Malley has 61% striking accuracy (Dvalishvili 41%)

Sean O’Malley Form

Sean O’Malley is the defending UFC bantamweight champion with a professional record of 18-1 (12 KOs, 1 Sub) with 1 No Contest.

O’Malley debuted in the UFC in December 2017 after a successful appearance on the Dana White Contender Series.

He won his first four fights, only to see that streak come to an end when he was knocked out by Marlon Vera in the opening round in August 2020.

‘Suga’ rebounded with a third-round knockout of Thomas Almeida, and backed that up by taking out Kris Moutinho with strikes in the third.

O’Malley then made it three wins in a row when he knocked out Raulian Paiva in the first round, but a fourth straight win eluded him as an accidental eye poke led to his fight with Pedro Munhoz being a No Contest.

The 29-year-old quickly put that behind him, beating Petr Yan via split decision, and that earned him a crack at the bantamweight title last August.

He took his big chance, knocking out Aljamain Sterling in the second round, and in his first defence in March he beat Marlon Vera by unanimous decision.

Merab Dvalishvili Form

Merab Dvalishvili is the #2 ranked bantamweight contender with a career record of 17-4 (3 KOs, 1 Sub).

Dvalishvili joined the UFC in December 2017 and got off to a slow start as he dropped a split decision to Frankie Saenz in his debut.

He was then submitted by Ricky Simon in the third round to go 0-2 in the Octagon, but he has rebounded from that early setback to storm into title contention.

‘The Machine’ finally got off the mark in the UFC with a unanimous decision win over Terrion Ware – a fight that is almost nine years to the date of his title fight.

He then backed that up with further points wins over Brad Katona, Casey Kenney, Gustavo Lopez and John Dodson to climb the ladder.

Dvalishvili then finally scored his first stoppage win in the UFC in September 2021 when he knocked out Marlon Moraes in the second round to claim bonus honours.

That has so far proven to be his only stoppage victory in the UFC though, with his last three wins coming via unanimous decision.

The 33-year-old Georgian has beaten Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo to secure this title shot.

Verdict

Sean O’Malley v Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili has been on a relentless run, but Sean O’Malley may just be his kryptonite.

‘Suga’ lands at a high rate with good accuracy, and when you combine that with stopping power you have a fighter that can punish takedown attempts and break down an opponent.

Sean O’Malley

Winner

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O'Malley by KO/TKO

Method Of Victory

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