Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili at the UFC 306 official weigh-in Photo Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press
On Saturday at UFC 306 at The Sphere, bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley faced Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili for the title, marking a bout that has been years in the making.
The card was billed as “Noche UFC” in celebration of Mexican Independence Day, but in a bout between two of the best bantamweights on the planet, it didn’t matter who represented which country.
The main event of UFC 306 got off to a bit of a strange start. Just as the fight was getting underway, Dvalishvili signaled something to Sean O’Malley’s corner, presumably upset at something the champion’s corner had said that later turned out to be excessive coaching. The referee scolded Dvalishvili for essentially calling a timeout himself, yelling that he was going to do his job and that Merab should focus on his job.
Referee Herb Dean calmed Dvalishvili and the bout was restarted, with O’Malley circling and Merab holding in the center. The first takedown attempt came after three minutes, which Dvalishvili got, and O’Malley quickly got to his feet. Dvalishvili hung on to the champion and dragged him back to his knees, but O’Malley freed himself just over a minute from the end of the round. The champion fanged a spinning kick near the end of the round to send the fight to the second round.
Less than two minutes into the second round, mostly spent circling and feinting, Dvalishvili took control. He changed levels at the right time, taking O’Malley far from the fence. This allowed Merab to move into his guard, attempt to pass and set up for some hard punches, but he had to avoid an upkick. O’Malley went for a triangle choke, but he grabbed the inside of Merab’s glove, causing the bout to be stopped. When the bout resumed, Merab managed to hold O’Malley down, and before the champion could reach the fence, he was pinned with a flurry of punches.
Dvalishvili finished the round with a guillotine choke and then kissed O’Malley’s back multiple times afterwards, but was warned by the referee for this rather unique sight.
Round three started lighter for Dvalishvili. Within 90 seconds, he had O’Malley’s leg and caught him, forcing him off balance and onto the fence. O’Malley survived two knee strikes, one of which grazed the head of the champion as he fell. The fight was not stopped, and fortunately this had no impact on the fight. O’Malley quickly escaped. He then had his best moment of the first three rounds, landing two well-aimed punches up high.
Dvalishvili was arguably the favorite heading into the deciding round, but Sean O’Malley needed to build on the momentum he gained at the end of the third round. That momentum was on display early on, when O’Malley blocked a takedown attempt and landed a hit on the challenger as he was exiting. But moments later, Dvalishvili landed another takedown, at least the fourth of the bout. He ended up in half guard, with O’Malley well away from the fence. Dvalishvili slammed his body and was aggressive from top position. He tried to isolate his arm, and when O’Malley tried to escape, Dvalishvili blocked his exit. By the end of the fourth round, it was clear that Merab Dvalishvili was making the champion’s night miserable. The round ended with a flurry of strikes from the Georgian after a guillotine attempt.
The final frame of UFC’s only planned show at The Sphere arrived, and Sean O’Malley needed a moment to turn the tide and end the fight. The champion went on the offensive, bloodying Merab’s nose a little. With under two minutes left, he landed a kick to the body, sending Dvalishvili scrambling to retreat. Suddenly, the complexion of the round changed. Merab went for the leg, but O’Malley blocked it and landed a knee to the midsection. O’Malley began firing kicks at the start, but a final takedown by Merab Dvalishvili killed the momentum.
Official result: Merab Dvalishvili defeats Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
