Exclusive: Merab Dvalishvili's coach shares bold preview for Sean O'Malley rematch, expects "much more violent" fight

Merab Dvalishvili's coach, John Wood, recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming UFC bantamweight title rematch between his fighter and Sean O'Malley. The pair are set to headline the upcoming UFC 316 event, which takes place at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey on June 7.

Dvalishvili and O'Malley first faced off back at UFC 306, with 'Suga' making the walk to the octagon as the champion. He had been hoping to successfully defend his title for a second time, whereas 'The Machine' was competing for UFC gold for the first time.

Much had been made about how the fight would play out in the build-up, with many either predicting a flash knockout win for O'Malley or a dominant unanimous decision victory for Dvalishvili.

Those backing the Georgian would then be proved correct, as he dominated the 30-year-old with his wrestling and seemingly endless cardio. Dvalishvili regularly took O'Malley down and nullified any of his offense as he cruised to a victory on the scorecards.

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While many fans would then expect the rematch between the pair to go the same way, Wood instead expects a much more violent encounter. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, he offered his preview of the fight, stating:

"I think it's going to be a much more violent fight. I think you're going to see Sean come out with a much more damaged look, whether we get the finish or not. I think there's strong potential for that to happen. But I think you're going to see a lot of damage in this fight. A lot of bumps and bruises and cuts and blood."

Check out John Wood's comments below (7:05):

Sean O'Malley predicts UFC 316 rematch against Merab Dvalishvili

With seemingly everyone offering their predictions for the UFC 316 main event in recent weeks, fans have finally heard from the challenger, Sean O'Malley, after he shared his thoughts his rematch against Merab Dvalishvili.

Speaking in a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, O'Malley shared his prediction for the fight. He said:

''I gotta win the first three rounds and I gotta win the last two rounds. I gotta break 'The Machine' and I gotta beat him, win the positions and I know I could beat Merab. He is open to be getting knocked out. I am very confident that I can put his lights out. I am also confident that I can beat him in a five-round fight.''

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments on the Merab Dvalishvili rematch below:

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About the author

Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi