Daniel Cormier received some criticism for a comment he made about Merab Dvalishvili during the UFC 316 broadcast.
Last night, ‘The Machine’ produced another spectacular performance, defeating Sean O’Malley via submission at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Dvalishvili has now won 13 consecutive fights, and is undeniably right up there as potentially the greatest bantamweight of all time.
His latest victory was incredibly impressive, especially considering ‘DC’ didn’t think he could get the job done in that manner.
WOW: Ilia Topuria shares reaction to Merab Dvalishvili’s victory over Sean O’Malley at UFC 316
Daniel Cormier said Merab Dvalishvili wasn’t a submission threat
In a spectacular showing, Merab Dvalishvili showcased his tremendous grappling skills against Sean O’Malley.
In the third round, the Georgian locked in a north-south choke that prompted his American rival to tap out.
This came as somewhat of a surprise to Daniel Cormier, who mere moments before said that Dvalishvili wasn’t particularly dangerous in this department.
During the broadcast, while O’Malley was on the ground, the former UFC champion said: “Because Merab is not that much of a submission threat, go to your knees.”
When ‘Suga’ tried to get back up, Cormier emphasized: “Go here, Merab isn’t that much of a submission threat.”
Seemingly in agreement, Joe Rogan responded: “Right.”
These comments quickly came back to bite the analyst, with Dvalishvili closing the show shortly after.
One fan tweeted: “The funniest thing was how DC and Joe Rogan were talking about how Merab has no submission threats, only for him to submit O’Malley a minute later.”
However, others felt it was a fair statement, with an MMA enthusiast commenting: “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that. Despite being a wrestler with 20 professional wins, that is his second-ever submission. Historically, he’s not a submission threat.”
Merab Dvalishvili branded ‘most genuine’ fighter on the planet after epic celebration with Kayla Harrison
Having now proven his ground game beyond doubt and racked up another successful defense of his belt, it’s no surprise that Dvalishvili was in a joyous mood backstage.
He spotted Kayla Harrison and quickly ran over to congratulate her.
With the pair having cemented their statuses as the best in their respective divisions, they were both in an equal state of euphoria.
In a heartwarming clip, Dvalishvili started to celebrate with Harrison in a heartwarming manner.