Israel Adesanya is expecting fireworks when Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley close the show at UFC 316.
Dvalishvili and O’Malley’s bantamweight title rematch will headline Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Newark, New Jersey.
The Georgian champion is looking to successfully defend his crown for the second time since winning it from ‘Sugar’ at UFC 306 inside the Sphere in September 2024.
After Dvalishvili defeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, he’s crossing paths with O’Malley again, as the Montana native searches for revenge and an immediate return to the throne.
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Israel Adesanya backs Sean O’Malley to knock Merab Dvalishvili out
In the lead-up to UFC 316, O’Malley has touted an injury and distraction-free fight camp as the root of his high confidence.
O’Malley has eliminated “negative” habits such as social media and smoking, and a full recovery from hip surgery has allowed him to fully train grappling this time around.
Among the figures who’ve seen the positive impact of those changes first-hand is Adesanya, who spent a short time training and hanging out with the former bantamweight champ.
Whatever ‘The Last Stylebender’ saw, it was enough for him to predict ‘and new’ come fight night in Newark.
“Me and Sean, we’re cool. He reminds me of myself,” Adesanya said. “From what he’s doing, he’s not even smoking…I see the way he’s taking this really seriously.
“He’s done the work. He’s lived the stoic, the boring life for this fight…and it’s showing when you hang out with him, you can see it.
“It’s a hard fight, but I’m gonna go Sean O’Malley. Because I believe, I believe, I believe, man,” Adesanya continued. “Just seeing the work he’s done this camp, not just in the gym, the stuff outside the gym. … Sean is dialed in and Sean can catch him.
“It’s gonna be the return to ‘The Suga Show’. Knockout, round two.”
Sean O’Malley’s coach shared a gorier prediction
O’Malley’s coach shared a similar prediction, just with some additional gory details.
During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Tim Welch outlined his team’s plan for O’Malley to lay a bloody beatdown on Dvalishvili at the Prudential Center on June 7.
“It’s gonna be a war,” Welch said. “We’re planning for a 25-minute battle, but I see Sean cutting his face.
“I see him cutting his face open. Merab shooting at the wrong time. Merab maybe getting wobbled by a shot, taking a shot at the wrong time, getting knee’d up the middle to the lips, maybe to the beak.
“(O’Malley) knees his beak, hurts Merab. Boom, boom, boom… boom. And he starts just to ground and pound. TKO, Sugar Show gets it done. He’s a champion again,” Welch added.
That description is much like how O’Malley emerged victorious from his last rematch.
‘Sugar’ heavily damaged Marlon Vera with a brutal knee en route to a lopsided five-round decision victory at UFC 299 in Miami. The result marked O’Malley’s one and only successful retention of the title.
O’Malley will now be focused on keeping his perfect record in rematches intact before looking to enjoy a longer stint on the bantamweight throne second time around.