The Merab Dvalishvili-O’Malley showdown: Strickland’s controversial prediction dissected.

Mixed martial arts or MMA as it is commonly known is a sport that loves drama and when the leading fighters are in the mix, then the drama is amplified. In the UFC, one of the most engaging possible clashes in the bantamweight division is a fight between the non-stop wrestler Merab Dvalishvili and the flashy striker and the current champion Sean O’Malley. Of late, the current UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, made a statement on social media where he predicted how this fight would turn out, and as expected, this generated a lot of reactions from the MMA fraternity.

 Strickland’s statements have caused quite a stir among the fans, analysts, and fighters because of his rather candid personality and rather peculiar opinions on the matter. But, this is based on his understanding of the fighter’s attributes, and the interaction of the two in the Octagon.

 In this article, we will dissect Strickland’s comments, examine the logic behind his prediction, and examine the virtues and vices of both Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley. By the end, we will be in a better position to understand how this potential fight could go down and whether Strickland’s prediction is accurate at all.

 Part 1: Setting the Stage – Who Are Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley?

 First, let us look at the main participants of this discussion and then proceed to analyze Sean Strickland’s prediction. Dvalishvili and O’Malley are stylistically opposite, and their rise to the top of the UFC bantamweight division has been a polar opposite.

 Merab Dvalishvili: The Machine

 Also known as ‘The Machine’, Merab Dvalishvili is one of the most uncompromising wrestlers that the UFC has to offer. Training at Serra-Longo Fight Team together with former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Dvalishvili is known for his stifling pressure, exceptional conditioning, and a wrestling game that is almost unmatchable. His striking is based on the forward pressure, takedowns and the ability to outstrike opponents in clinch and on the ground.

 What sets Dvalishvili apart is not only the fact that he is a wrestler but the fact that he keeps the pressure up non-stop during the fight. He possesses excellent cardiovascular fitness and despite the fact that his takedowns aren’t always effective, he keeps the pressure on and makes his opponents defend themselves throughout the entire fight. He has been known for his ground game and has defeated some high profile opponents such as Petr Yan, José Aldo and John Dodson. Dvalishvili has entered the title contention now with a nine-fight winning streak and many people including fans and analysts think that he might be the most difficult opponent for anyone in the division including Sean O’Malley.

 However, some fans have pointed out that Dvalishvili’s style is not as ‘fan-friendly’ as the striking based approach. He is a decisive fighter who engages in many battles and his constant grappling is quite effective but boring for those who like to exchange more often.

 Sean O’Malley: The Showman

 At the other end of the spectrum is the flamboyant, colorful, and very energetic UFC bantamweight champion Sean “Sugar” O’Malley. O’Malley is one of the most liked and disliked fighters in MMA today, not only because of his abilities inside the cage, but also because of his personality, his social media presence and his confidence.

 O’Malley’s stand-up is his biggest asset and he is very technical and inventive with his kicks and punches. A fighter who loves to operate in the kickboxing realm, O’Malley is very effective at keeping distance and keeping his opponent at bay with his reach and accurate punches, spinning kicks, and power. His KO victory over Aljamain Sterling in UFC 292 to capture the bantamweight title only added to his status as one of the scariest strikers in the division.

 What is especially dangerous about O’Malley is that he can combine innovation with technical skills. He’s not just trying to look good; some of the things he does are quite unorthodox and can rattle opponents, and he is very accurate for a welterweight. O’Malley has proved that he is not just a hype man as he has defeated top level opponents such as Sterling, Petr Yan and Thomas Almeida.

 Despite the fact that O’Malley has one of the best striking techniques in the world, his grappling and wrestling defense are questionable. Despite having some improvements in his takedown defense, he has not yet faced a constant pressure wrestler like Dvalishvili and this is why the match up between these two has been highly anticipated.

 Part 2: Sean Strickland’s Controversial Prediction

 Sean Strickland is a middleweight fighter in the UFC and has not been shy to express his views. He is not afraid to speak his mind and when he made his prediction about the Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley bout, it went viral. Strickland, known for his straightforward speaking, said that Merab Dvalishvili would “destroy” Sean O’Malley if they fought in the Octagon. Of course, Strickland’s prediction was not a random guess; he put more weight into it by saying that Dvalishvili’s constant wrestling and pressure would be too much for O’Malley to handle.

 The above prediction by Strickland has elicited a number of comments from different people supporting his view and those who do not agree with him. The supporters of Dvalishvili also agreed with Strickland stating that O’Malley has no experience of fighting a wrestler and grappler like Dvalishvili. However, O’Malley’s supporters believe that his striking is so sharp that Dvalishvili will never be able to approach him and use his wrestling.

 Strickland’s prediction comes from the age-old MMA stereotype of the ‘striker vs. grappler’ matchup, a fight that people always wonder who will come out on top. Elite wrestlers have had a lot of success against strikers especially if they are able to take the fight to the latter and keep it there. But the sport has developed and the top strikers such as Israel Adesanya, Conor McGregor and Anderson Silva proved that wrestling can be countered by high-level strikers even.

 Now, let’s look at the main aspects of Strickland’s prediction and what could happen with the two fighters with different fighting styles.

 Part 3: Breaking Down the Styles – Grappler vs. Striker

 Merab Dvalishvili’s Path to Victory: Pressure and Wrestling.

 Sean Strickland’s take on the fight is that Dvalishvili will win and this is mainly because of the Georgian fighter’s grappling skills. Dvalishvili’s game plan in nearly every fight has been the same: Pressure, clinch, takedown, repeat. The problem with Dvalishvili is not only that he can get takedowns but he will keep on going for them. Despite the fact that an opponent can block the first few attempts, Dvalishvili has a gas tank that enables him to keep on trying until he gets his opponent down.

Dvalishvili’s wrestling is also coupled with him being able to dominate his opponents once he has taken them down. He doesn’t necessarily have to finish the fight with submissions or ground-and-pound (although he can); he is happy to control his opponent, shut down their striking, and win rounds with control.

 Against O’Malley, Dvalishvili’s path to victory is clear: This is to close the distance, not get involved in protracted striking exchanges and to try to pull O’Malley into a clinch fight. The longer the fight goes to the stand-up game, it is definitely bad news for Dvalishvili as O’Malley is known for his accurate striking. But if Dvalishvili can keep O’Malley on the back foot, land takedowns and control the top position, he will most probably wear out the champion and reduce his striking capabilities.

 The second factor that needs consideration is Dvalishvili’s conditioning. This will put O’Malley’s cardio into the test especially in the five rounds of the fight since grappling is the main aspect of the fight. O’Malley has been tested in the department of striking and has displayed a lot of durability but having to engage in prolonged ground exchanges may prove to be disadvantageous to him since he might lose a lot of energy and could be less of a threat on his feet.

 Sean O’Malley’s Path to Victory: Accuracy in Striking and Distance Control

 Strickland has favored Dvalishvili in this bout, and O’Malley may very well pose a threat to his opponent’s striking. O’Malley is one of the best and most inventive strikers in the UFC and has the best distance control. He has a long reach and uses different techniques that are hard to read and he has proved time and time again that he can knock out his opponents with a single punch.

 For O’Malley, the way that he could defeat Dvalishvili was to keep the fight at range. Dvalishvili has to get inside to use his wrestling and if O’Malley can keep the distance with footwork and movement, he can beat Dvalishvili with jabs, kicks and counters.

 O’Malley is known to be very calm and collected most of the time especially when handling pressure situations. He almost never seems to be stressed, not even when his foes attempt to get in close. In particular, against a fighter like Dvalishvili, who is expected to come forward with wrestling in mind, O’Malley’s counter-striking could be the way to land a fight-finishing strike. One of his most important attributes is his ability to outwit his opponents and know when to enter the ring as well as exploit any openings that are available to him.

 However, the biggest concern for O’Malley will be the takedown defense. Although he has displayed enhancement in his wrestling, Dvalishvili is a unique test. If O’Malley can avoid the takedowns and make Dvalishvili stand, the fight becomes a lot better for him. With every passing second that the fight remains in the standing position, O’Malley’s chances of delivering a knockout punch also rise.

 Part 4: Analyzing Sean Strickland’s Prediction

 This is the reason why Sean Strickland was able to predict Dvalishvili’s victory over Kattar, because wrestling is just better than striking, especially when the wrestler has good cardio and pressure like Dvalishvili. In the past, wrestlers have been able to dominate strikers in the UFC due to their ability to decide the range of the fight and shut down their opponents’ weapons.

 Strickland’s view also has some truth in it as he believes that O’Malley has not fought a grappler of Dvalishvili’s caliber. O’Malley has defeated some of the elite strikers and fighters who are well-rounded but Dvalishvili will be a different kind of test for O’Malley in the UFC.

 However, Strickland’s prediction also fails to take into account the improvement in the striking and the takedown defense that most of the elite strikers have made in the recent past. As we have seen from the likes of Israel Adesanya and Conor McGregor, it is possible to outstrike even the best wrestlers if one’s takedown defense is also good. O’Malley’s footwork, his ability to measure distance and time his strikes and implement them effectively could present problems which Dvalishvili might find difficult to solve.

 Altogether, Strickland’s prediction, even if rather provocative, can be considered as plausible. Dvalishvili’s wrestling and cardio are non-stop and these could be the major factors that may pose a great deal of problem to O’Malley if he fails to keep the fight on the feet. But the striking of O’Malley is so lethal that one clean hit can alter the dynamics of the fight.

 Part 5: Conclusion – What’s Next for the Bantamweight Division?

 The proposed match between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley is one of the most interesting in terms of the fighting styles within the UFC’s bantamweight division. In Dvalishvili vs O’Malley we have a great grappler vs striker matchup where Dvalishvili will try to take O’Malley down while O’Malley will try to keep him at bay with his striking.

 Sean Strickland’s prediction of Dvalishvili’s win has only made things more interesting, but the fact of the matter is that both fighters know how to get their man. The grappling of Dvalishvili will be the key for him to control the distance and the wrestling will be important for him while O’Malley’s striking and distance management along with knockout power will be a threat to end the fight standing.

 As the UFC keeps on growing, the result of this potential bout would have a great impact on the division. In any case, the fight will be a spectacle of styles and characters, and will only contribute to the fact that the bantamweight division is one of the most entertaining in the entire sport.