Merab Dvalishvili Beats Sean O’Malley By UD at UFC 306 to Win Bantamweight Title

Alex BallentineSeptember 15, 2024

Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Merab Dvalishvili brought and end to the Suga Show with a unanimous decision win over Sean O’Malley to win the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 306 from the Sphere in Las Vegas.

UFC News @UFCNews#UFC306 Official Result ➡️: Merab Dvalishvili (49-46, 48-47, 48-47 | @MerabDvalishvil) defeats Sean O’Malley by Unanimous Decision. @RiyadhSeason | #NocheUFC

Dvalishvili drew first blood in the battle. The challenger held his own in a few brief striking exchanges and was able to get O’Malley to the mat a few times in the first round. There wasn’t much damage done, but the tone for the bout was established.

John Pollock @iamjohnpollockO’Malley was working his jab early but Merab took over the round with a pair of takedowns and executing offense through his knees and attempting a guillotine near end of the round

10-9 Dvalishvili

It was more of the same for Dvalishvili in the second round, but the frame was punctuated by an odd sequence in which it appeared that Dvalishvili thought the round ended early based on Herb Dean’s instruction and gave up a submission and walked away with time left on the clock.

O’Malley tried to take advantage of the confusion, but Dvalishvili avoided the surprise attack.

UFC @ufc”What is going on?” 🥴

[ #UFC306 at @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC LIVE NOW on @ESPNPlus PPV ] pic.twitter.com/niRiesVqJ5

O’Malley looking for opportunities became a theme over the second half of the fight. Dvalishvili set a pace that didn’t allow O’Malley much time to get his own offense going.

Former champion Dominick Cruz heaped some praise on Dvalishvili.

Dominick Cruz @DominickCruzMerab is fighting very smart so far. He is using forward pressure like always, however the feints and the kicks to set up his boxing is connecting him to the takedowns on Omally, and he’s holding him down very well also. Very smart tactics for Merab #UFCNoche

As Cruz noted, Dvalishvili’s pressure was too much and suffocated the now-former champion on the way to a new era for Dvalishvili in the division.

The win is the crowning moment of a run that has been a long time coming for Dvalishvili. The 33-year-old lost his first two fights in the UFC, but rallied to win 10 consecutive fights before finally getting a shot at gold.

Dvalishvili was passed over for previous title shots but was ready once he heard his name called. He became just the second Georgian to win a UFC title (current featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is the other) and credits his hard work for his rise up the ranks.

“It will be crazy for my country,” Dvalishvili said, per Kevin Schuster of UFC.com. “It means a lot for a small country for a fighter to win UFC belt. Everybody knows that I’m just a hard worker. I’m not gifted. When I win this belt, it will show people that you can just work hard and, of course, give a good example to kids and hardworking people.”

Part of Dvalisvhili’s winding journey was likely due to the fact that he hasn’t been a great finisher. Most of his wins have come by decision and his game is more about control than damage.

However, a rivalry with O’Malley is bound to elevate his stock. O’Malley might not be the champion anymore, but he is still the most recognizable fighter in the division and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get an instant rematch.