Demetrious Johnson wasn’t surprised by how Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley at UFC 316.
In preparation for his title rematch with UFC Bantamweight Champion Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley worked on his striking with former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and his grappling with former flyweight champion and one of the greatest fighters of all time Demetrious Johnson.
O’Malley defended 7 out of 12 takedown attempts from the relentless Dvalishvili but was unable to escape from a submission attempt in round 3 and tapped out.
Adesanya had predicted O’Malley to reclaim the title while Johnson refused to give a prediction for the UFC 316 main event.
However, after helping O’Malley get ready for Dvalishvili, ‘Mighty Mouse’ reveals he sort of saw this coming.
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Demetrious Johnson knew Merab Dvalishvili would rack up takedowns on Sean O’Malley
Johnson believes the key to beating a fighter like Dvalishvili is to wrestle defensively against him, something top contender Cory Sandhagen has noted as well.
Johnson also said he expected Dvalishvili to ‘run over’ O’Malley if he looked for the one-shot KO.
“When I sparred with Sean, did I take him down the rounds we grappled?” said Johnson on his YouTube channel.
“Yes, I took Sean down. And I knew that if I can take Sean down with me not being a full time fighter, I knew Merab was gonna take him down and be able to mount.
“Word on the street on Merab is that he’s strong as s—. He’s so strong,” Johnson continued.
“This is the one thing I knew too. When I splurge on the way I shoot my double [leg takedown] like a wrestler that goes underneath like a duck walk.
“Where Merab, when he shoots, he blasts through almost like a charge, like a spear.
“So, if Sean were to try to get the guillotine on Merab, he would have to be airborne and lock up the guillotine, which would be extremely hard. You can’t get leverage or a good fight when you’re airborne. You’re getting plowed.”
Demetrious Johnson says Merab Dvalishvili is ‘just too good’ after beating Sean O’Malley
Dvalishvili improved to 13 wins in a row with a repeat title win over O’Malley at UFC 316.
With three title fights into his career and an array of former champions on his resume, Dvalishvili is being heavily considered as the greatest bantamweight of all time. However, the Georgian would give that honor to another champion.
Dvalishvili received praise for beating O’Malley from UFC flyweight ‘GOAT’ Johnson.
“Merab is just too good, man,” Johnson said.
“But, the good thing is Sean’s got plenty of f—— money.
“Great fight,” the former champion said of Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2.
“Great f—— fight.”