UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady has concluded, and next week, The Sphere will finally host UFC 306 featuring Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili as the main event. Alongside the exciting fight card, fans are looking forward to enjoying the spectacle promised by Dana White.
The UFC bantamweight title bout is hard to predict for many. O’Malley and Dvalishvili are masters of different trades, and both have been pretty successful with their styles so far.
According to UFC analyst Din Thomas, the UFC 306 main event will be one-sided, and it’s unlikely that fans will get to see a persistent brawl…
Din Thomas Believes Sean O’Malley Is A Harder Opponent For Merab Dvalishvili Than Aljamain Sterling
Karyn Brant, Paul Felder, and Thomas previewed UFC 306 at the UFC Fight Night Post Show on ESPN MMA recently.
Felder was hyped up for the main event because of the long history between “Suga” and “The Machine”. From Dvalishvili stealing O’Malley’s jacket inside the Octagon to the latter unknowingly filming the former training in the rain, there have been plenty of memorable moments in their rivalry.
Felder also mentioned the challenger’s relentless pressure and the champ’s accurate counter-striking that make this fight so unpredictable. According to Din Thomas, the fighter who walks away with the win will make himself known early in the fight.
Thomas stated that the initial rounds would reveal the entire story of the UFC 306 main event. If Dvalishvili can control O’Malley early on, he’ll most likely continue to do so for five rounds. On the flip side, if the UFC bantamweight kingpin finds his range quickly, he’ll be piecing up “The Machine” from a distance throughout the fight.
“I think we’re going to know right away. I think if Merab is able to get his hands on Sean early, then I think that’s going to tell the entire story of the fight. And if he can’t, I think that’s going to tell… I can’t see a back-and-forth fight here because their styles are so different and they’re so strong at their offenses that I just can’t imagine it going back-and-forth.”
The analyst also pointed out that Dvalishvili is shorter than former champ Aljamain Sterling and he also gets hit way more. Thomas concluded that to emerge victorious, the challenger must find a way to not be overwhelmed by O’Malley’s precise distant striking.
“As sharp as Sean O’Malley is, like that shot that he hit Aljamain Sterling with, that right hand.. just eagle eyed him. Just bang, Merab is more susceptible to getting hit than Aljamain and he’s shorter and he’s going to have a harder time getting in. So, Merab to me, this comes down to what is Merab doing in training to be able to deal with that length.”
