Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley had a blockbuster showdown at one of UFC’s biggest events—UFC 306, which was held for the first (and according to Dana White, only) time at The Sphere in Las Vegas. ‘The Machine’ clinched the title in front of a roaring crowd after dominating the fight, especially in the grappling exchanges. However, the bout did not end without controversy since Dvalishvili momentarily hit pause on the action to yell back and point at Tim Welch and O’Malley’s corner. But why?
Well, he issued a warning to ‘Suga’s’ coach, who was seen mocking the title challenger by shouting out instructions as if they were coming the Georgian champ’s corner—“Merab, you might need to be patient, bud.” This time, for the rematch, Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, not only doubled down on this incident but also spoke about their strategy.
He spoke on MMA Fighting on SBN and talked about Dvalishvili’s strategy on using ‘Canelo Hands’. He said, “Merab is not afraid to stand up with somebody and bang it out if he needs to. But we just saw what happened with Belal and you know Jack fight, where I think Belal kind of got off his game plan and did not fight the smartest fight, thinking he was going to go out with his Canelo Hands. You’re never gonna have me tell Merab or even let Merab go “hey go out and use you know, Canelo Hands and knock somebody.” We are gonna play our game and we are gonna do it until somebody defeats us or beats us in that situation.”
Now, for the unversed, Belal Muhammad’s ‘Canelo Hands’ is obviously inspired by professional boxer Canelo Alvarez. ‘Bully B’ stated while speaking to MMA Fighting: “I’ve been using the Canelo [Alvarez] boxing. I want to put it to the test. I want to put it to the test and have that moment where I go that’s why I’m the best boxer in the UFC. That’s why I’m the best boxer in the welterweight division.”
Only problem was—not sticking to his strength, which is wrestling, might have cost him heavily. Speaking to Kariouz Bros, Muhammad stated that did not use the technique properly. “Canelo is the man, but he didn’t. Props to him, he said he would stand in there. I didn’t think he would, but he did.”
January 17, 2025, Los Angeles, Ca, Los Angeles, Ca, United States: Merab Dvalishvili steps on the scale for the official weigh-in at Intercontinental Downtown Los Angeles for UFC311 Makhachev vs Tsarukyan 2 : Official Weigh-ins on January 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA, United States. /PxImages Los Angeles, Ca United States – ZUMAp175 20250117_zsa_p175_056 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
So for Dvalishvili, he is going to stick to his gameplan, as per his coach, and not ‘test’ anything out. Meanwhile, he also sent a warning to Team O’Malley ahead of their rematch.
Merab Dvalishvili warns Team Sean O’Malley against ‘cheap tricks’
After winning the belt, ‘The Machine’, during the post-fight press conference, pointed out what exactly had happened. He said, “I was in there and I’m fighting, I’m a professional fighter so I am focused [on the fight], and that never happened to me [before], I never pay attention to other corner, but Tim’s voice was very familiar because he was doing the same thing to Aljamain.”
The champ already knows what he is up against, and this time he is ready to not only fight ‘Suga’ inside the cage but tackle the banter from the opposite corner in the fight. John Wood, the Georgian’s coach, pointed out while speaking on MMA Fighting what their strategy is going to be.
Wood, during the interview, said, “I like Tim personally. I don’t take any offense to it. Do I think it’s stupid? Absolutely. But you know, I guess that maybe they think that it worked for the Aljo fight. So it’s something we’re gonna keep on doing. Then go ahead, but we will talk to the referees about it. But I don’t think it’s gonna be a problem in any way, shape, or form.”
Even though O’Malley’s coach tried to distract him, Dvalishvili came out all guns blazing and won the belt. And this time he knows his opponent’s style and the things he has to look out for. So do you think he will win this time as well, since it’s familiar territory? Let us know in the comments below.
The post Team Merab Dvalishvili Admits Taking a Serious Lesson From Belal Muhammad’s Loss Before Sean O’Malley Rematch appeared first on EssentiallySports.