{"id":230788,"date":"2025-10-22T02:18:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T02:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/230788\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T02:18:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T02:18:09","slug":"hes-way-more-confident-in-his-hands-could-that-be-his-downfall-sean-omalley-sees-risk-in-merab-dvalishvilis-striking-before-ufc-323","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/230788\/","title":{"rendered":"‘He\u2019s Way More Confident in His Hands \u2014 Could That Be His Downfall?’ \u2014 Sean O\u2019Malley Sees Risk in Merab Dvalishvili\u2019s Striking Before UFC 323"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former bantamweight champion Sean O\u2019Malley has issued a caution to reigning titleholder Merab Dvalishvili ahead of UFC 323, set for December 6 at the T\u2011Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. With Dvalishvili preparing for his fourth title defense against Petr Yan<\/a>, O\u2019Malley believes the champion\u2019s growing confidence in striking could become a liability.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s way more confident in his hands, and his hands have improved a lot,\u201d O\u2019Malley said on his YouTube channel.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe actually cracked me a few times in that second fight. It\u2019s just so hard to fight someone when you have to respect their wrestling so much, and then they start throwing hands. He\u2019s doing a really good job of mixing it up.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould that be the downfall for him vs. Petr? He gets a little bit confident in those hands, Petr\u2019s counters \u2013 I rewatched me vs. Petr a couple of days ago, and the couple times I would sit in there with the one-two, and he would counter so f*cking hard and fast. If Merab does decide \u2018I do want to trade with him a little bit,\u2019 that could be his downfall.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Grappling Dominance to Striking Growth<\/p>\n

Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA, 14-2 UFC) initially gained fame for his relentless wrestling, particularly during his first bout with Yan in March 2023, where he landed 11 takedowns out of 49 attempts. Over time, however, \u201cThe Machine\u201d has demonstrated improved striking skills, recently rocking Cory Sandhagen en route to a unanimous decision at UFC 320<\/a>.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Malley warns that this shift in style, while impressive, might tempt Dvalishvili to engage in exchanges with Yan where he could be vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Past Injuries and Cage Size Impact<\/p>\n

O\u2019Malley also pointed out factors from their first fight that may have influenced the outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cPetr supposedly hurt his hand or had a really bad injury on his hand going into that first fight,\u201d O\u2019Malley explained.
\u201cI will say, the first fight was in the small cage, fighting in the small cage, and the big cage is completely different. It was 50-45, Petr didn\u2019t win a single round.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shift to a larger octagon could give Yan more room to capitalize on any overconfidence in Dvalishvili\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

Looking at both fighters\u2019 growth since their first encounter, O\u2019Malley believes Dvalishvili has made significant strides.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good question because Petr has improved a ton since that last fight,\u201d O\u2019Malley said. \u201cHe went out there and beat Figueiredo, he beat Song Yadong, and Marcus McGhee. Petr has looked really good, definitely looks like he\u2019s improved.<\/p>\n

\u201cMerab has improved, I would say, more than anybody. After that first fight with me, I feel like him going to that Umar fight, he leveled-up a ton.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then after the Umar fight, like the second time I fought him, I feel like from the first time I fought him to the second time I fought him, it was only eight months, I regret having surgery and fighting a machine like that after eight months. It was probably not the smartest move I\u2019ve done, especially against a f*cking machine like Merab, but his improvement has been insane from each fight. So, I\u2019d say Merab\u2019s probably improved more.\u201d<\/p>\n

As fight night approaches, the matchup between Dvalishvili and Yan carries high stakes for the bantamweight division. O\u2019Malley\u2019s analysis suggests that while Dvalishvili\u2019s enhanced stand-up game makes him more versatile, leaning too heavily on striking could invite punishment from a sharp counter-striker like Yan.<\/p>\n

Published on October 21, 2025 at 9:34 pm<\/p>\n

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