UFC 306: Who is the Solution Between O’Malley and Dvalishvili?

By
Gabriel Gonzalez
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Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, UFC 306
Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, UFC 306 Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press

Noche UFC/UFC 306 will feature the two most dangerous bantamweights today as champion Sean O’Malley takes on surging contender Merab Dvalishvili.

Sean O’Malley has every reason to be as confident as he is, and the UFC is right to push him as strongly as they have.  His path from bonafide prospect that reinforced the value of Dana White’s Contender Series to now needle moving champion is one of the greatest success stories of the promotion of the 2020’s.  If you need any further indication that O’Malley is the man of the moment, look at the fact that he headlined the unbelievably stacked UFC 299 in March and is now the final fighter to make the walk at the seminal Sphere event that UFC CEO Dana White has promoted as a once in a lifetime event.

One of the most notable parts of the “Suga Show” is the fact that he has admittedly sought highlight reel finishes over more effective and efficient fighting in the cage.  Indeed, his stature at bantamweight and exciting striking style are highly accessible to fans and create easily marketable clips online for the UFC and fans alike to share.  With one of the biggest stages of the year on deck for him to showcase his talents, he now has arguably the tallest order of his career in front of him.  Should he triumph again, it would be the kind of seminal moment that transcends his star even further.

As much as mixed martial arts has evolved, Saturday is widely seen as a modern day striker vs grappler matchup.  Opposing the standup artist in “Suga” is top contender Merab Dvalishvili whose grappling prowess and conditioning has made him a nightmare for high level former champions such as José Aldo, Henry Cejudo, and Petr Yan.  Once a contender who stumbled in his first two UFC appearances, “The Machine” now rides a ten fight win-streak that has many of his fellow professionals and pundits alike as the most difficult challenge in the highly stacked bantamweight division.

Besides being a threat inside the cage, Dvalishvili has become a force on social media outside of it.  On his way up the ranks, the Georgian contender was soft-spoken and focused more on letting his skills do the talking.  Today, he is one of the most active online personalities in the sport whose skits feature outlandish situations and frequently take shots at the vibrant champion of his division.  This leads to the stakes of the bout, Dvalishvili would love to continue the run of Georgian born fighters claiming UFC gold (following featherweight Ilia Topuria) but he is the one who must now complete the journey as O’Malley has already done so.  He could ascend to the status of the most dangerous bantamweight in the world, but he must solve the puzzle that many great contenders have already failed to solve.  For O’Malley, he must defend his position and prove that his talk of being the best was true even with Dvalishvili in the wings.

The winner is likely to face undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov who has notched six victories in the UFC and most recently bested perennial top contender Cory Sandhagen last month in a five round effort.  Should Nurmagomedov be unable to take the bout, then former flyweight champion Deiveson Figuieredo is likely to be the next man up as “Deus de Guerra” has recorded three victories since moving up to bantamweight against top competition in Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt, and most recent title challenger Marlon “Chito” Vera.

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