‘The Type Of Champion That The UFC Needs’ – Fans & Fighters React To Merab Dvalishvili Putting On Dominant Display Against Sean O’Malley At UFC 316

Merab Dvalishvili has been a grappling beast his whole MMA career, but the one knock on him may have been a lack of finishes.

O’Malley stayed on the outside and tried to keep distance early in the opening round. While O’Malley scored a couple of decent shots early, a pair of slips, led him into Dvalishvili’s grasp. The defending champ scored a pair of takedowns during the round, delivering the same kind of top pressure that troubled O’Malley in their first meeting.

The third round, however, saw Dvalishvili land a big takedown on O’Malley. No matter O’Malley’s defenses, Dvalishili’s top pressure was too much. Late in the round, Dvalishvili managed to lock up a D’Arce choke, even when O’Malley gets his back to the mat, putting Dvalishvili in the North-South position. The North-South choke scored Dvalishvili the tap to retain the gold.

This was a rematch from Noche UFC 2 (UFC 306), which saw Dvalishvili score a decision over O’Malley to capture the 135-pound championship.

This was O’Malley’s first fight since losing the title. It’s just his third professional MMA loss and second time being finished — following his loss to Marlon “Chito” Vera five years ago.