"He needs to be knocked out and put to sleep to beat him" - Sean O’Malley believes he’s the only fighter who can put Merab Dvalishvili to sleep

Sean O’Malley believes Merab Dvalishvili is untouchable in the bantamweight division unless someone knocks him out with a decisive strike. Dvalishvili has won fourteen consecutive fights and tied the record for most title defenses (3) with his victory over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.

The UFC bantamweight champion scored 100 takedowns in a five-round fight while nearly finishing Sandhagen in the second. His victories over the division’s top contenders have left fans and fighters questioning what it would take to dethrone him.

O’Malley argues that the only path to victory is a knockout that incapacitates Dvalishvili. Although the champion has been hurt in previous fights, including moments against Marlon Moraes and Henry Cejudo, such openings are fleeting, and opponents struggle to capitalize on them.

Sharing his thoughts on his YouTube channel, O'Malley said:

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“He’s very, very confident in his striking right now. He can be [confident] because either his opponent’s gonna back up, and like, nothing really happens, or they’re gonna stand and try to trade. He’s gonna crack them, fall into a single leg, fall into a double leg, or they’re gonna get cracked with the right hand."

He added:

"I don’t see really anyone being [able to beat him]. I do think I’m the only one… I hate to say it. I hate to f*cking say it. I’m the only one who could beat him. Give me a shot at the White House. I gotta go out there and get some wins. I gotta get some wins. But, I don’t see anyone really beating Merab anytime soon. He needs to be knocked out and put to sleep to beat him. I just don’t really see anyone other than myself being able to do that.”

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (4:00):

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Sean O’Malley reacts to Merab Dvalishvili’s UFC 320 win with humor

Sean O’Malley was impressed by Merab Dvalishvili's dominant performance against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.

O'Malley, who fought Dvalishvili twice, losing out on a decision and submission at UFC 306 and UFC 316, respectively, reacted to the recent win with self-deprecating humor. Reacting to the fight on his YouTube channel, O'Malley said:

“God, Merab’s f*cking good. He reminds me of ‘Suga’ Sean… I didn’t let him get that many takedowns on me because I didn’t get up... Merab Dvalishvili beat the f*ck out of Cory. In my opinion, Cory’s one of the best fighters in the UFC… One of the best in the world, and Merab just beat him up."

Edited by Abhishek Nambiar