Last night’s UFC 316 main event at Newark’s Prudential Center was billed as a grudge match, but Merab Dvalishvili turned it into a wrestling clinic. The bantamweight champion, making his second title defense, once again outworked Sean O’Malley – this time finishing him with a slick third-round choke.
Merab Dvalishvili Celebrates with New York, New Jersey Crowd
Sean O’Malley, who’d vowed revenge after losing the belt to Dvalishvili last year, found himself stuck in the same cycle: lots of flash, but not enough answers for “The Machine’s” relentless pace.
Merab Dvalishvili was beaming post-fight. “I’m really happy,” he said, at the UFC post-fight press conference.
“It was a special day because we were fighting close to New York, New Jersey. You know, I started my professional career here. I started my first steps in the United States here – it was so hard, many years ago. But today, I was fighting for the belt. Mr. President Donald Trump was here, Dana White, Hunter Campbell, and all my Georgian people, all the immigrants, all my friends from New York and New Jersey, my teammates. It doesn’t get any better than this. I’m so happy and grateful.”
The champ’s emotional shoutout was a reminder that, for all the hype, this was personal; a homecoming and a statement rolled into one. As for the fight itself, Dvalishvili’s game plan was flexible. He continued: “To be honest, I’m just getting better everywhere. I’m not only focused on one thing,” he explained.
“During training camp, the game plan changes. Sometimes I’m doing body shots—I’m going to punch his body. Sometimes I look good in striking, so I keep striking. Sometimes this camp, I wasn’t thinking about wrestling much. I was ready for whatever – maybe he was talking and making excuses, thinking, ‘Maybe this guy really wasn’t his night, maybe he’s something special and will stop my wrestling takedowns.’ I was ready to strike. I wanted to win the first time, especially against a dangerous opponent like Sean O’Malley.”
The result? Dvalishvili put on a masterclass in adaptability. He pressured O’Malley from the start, mixing takedowns with sharp strikes. Sean O’Malley fired back with his trademark precision, but every time he seemed to find a rhythm, Merab Dvalishvili dragged him down or clinched him up. By the third round, the champ smelled blood and locked in the choke for the tap – his first UFC submission win, and a fitting exclamation point on a dominant performance.
With the win, Merab Dvalishvili cements his place atop the bantamweight division. He’s already eyeing Cory Sandhagen as his next challenge, while O’Malley heads back to the lab.
