Merab Dvalishvili Explains More 'Open' Approach in Sean O’Malley Rematch

The first time Merab Dvalishvili faced Sean O’Malley, the primary goal was to walk away with bantamweight gold.

While he admittedly played it a little more safe in what was nonetheless a dominant unanimous decision triumph at UFC 306, “The Machine” decided to get a little more aggressive in their rematch. The end result was a third-round submission victory in the UFC 316 headliner on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“First time, I said, this one I was fighting for the belt. I wanted to win this. I know I was winning, and I don’t risk it too much,” Dvalishvili said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I wanted to just grab it one time. I just wanted to win one time. Now, I risk — not risk — but I play more open. I wanted to win the first time, especially against a dangerous opponent like Sean O’Malley.”

O’Malley made his own improvements, including surgery for an injured hip that plagued him in their first meeting as well as a number of lifestyle changes. While “Suga” did appear to be more aggressive with his striking, his takedown defense only held up for so long. By Round 3, Dvalishvili was having his way, and he secured victory with a modified north-south choke at the 4:42 mark of the frame. O’Malley had no choice but to tip his proverbial cap to his opponent in the aftermath.

“I didn’t feel like it was going to go like that, unfortunately it did,” O’Malley said in his post-fight interview. “Merab’s a motherf—-ker. I just wanted to stick around and thank everybody that came out and supported us. If it wasn’t for you guys, this s—t wouldn’t be possible. I feel super, super grateful right now that I get to do this.”

“I have a two-week[-old] at home, a four-year-old at home, and a perfect wife, so I’m excited to go home and spend time with them, but Merab’s a motherf—ker.”

Dvalishvili now owns a 13-bout winning streak, tied for the fourth-longest in UFC history. The Georgian already appears to have a contender in waiting, as Cory Sandhagen was in attendance at UFC 316 on Saturday. It’s a matchup that Dvalishvili welcomes with open arms.

“Top of my head, he’s the best, deserving guy in this division right now,” Dvalishvili said. “Especially he was fighting always the best of the best. He’s a company guy, a very respectful guy, hard worker guy, super talented, super good, and I think he deserves the most. And if the UFC wants, I’m happy. I want to be busy.”