Merab Dvalishvili made a bold statement in his second bout against Sean O’Malley, finishing the rivalry in emphatic fashion with a third-round submission win at UFC 316 on Saturday night at the Prudential Center.
After winning their first meeting by unanimous decision last September at UFC Noche to claim the bantamweight title, Dvalishvili left no doubt this time around. He controlled the fight from the opening bell, constantly pressuring O’Malley and outstriking him through the first two rounds before locking in a D’Arce choke to get the tap at 4:42 of Round 3.
The dominant performance was Dvalishvili’s 13th straight win—tying him for the fourth-longest streak in UFC history—and also gave him his 12th bantamweight victory, putting him among the division’s most successful fighters.
Despite undergoing hip surgery and making major changes in training for the rematch, O’Malley couldn’t find his rhythm and was clearly second best on the night. Still, he handled the defeat with class.
Statistically, Dvalishvili was in complete control. He landed 135 total strikes to O’Malley’s 34, secured five takedowns, and racked up over six minutes of control time.
This marked Dvalishvili’s third successful title defense, having previously defeated Umar Nurmagomedov—cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov—in January. Up next, the champ is expected to defend his belt against top contender Cory Sandhagen.
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