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After closing UFC 316 with an emphatic submission win in his rematch against Sean O'Malley, Merab Dvalishvili had an encouraging message for his rival. Even in victory, the Georgian fighter spoke with empathy for his rival.
He reminded O'Malley that only one man wears the crown at any time. But if 'Sugar's' love for the sport still burns, Dvalishvili urged him to keep going. During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Dvalishvili said:
"I will just stay positive, you know. The loss sometimes is good, you know. Makes you even motivated to think about and make you change more stuff and to get better mentally, physically. Of course, loss in fight never good because this is not soccer game or baseball game. You lost the game, and you can blame something, the weather or something. But here you have to blame yourself and just looking for a reason in your head, what you have to get better."
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He added:
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"Just do your best. If you still love this, keep doing it, keep training and do your best. And as long as you love it, keep doing it. And if you don’t love anymore, then relax. I mean, he’s happy, happy dad. I wish him all the best. Not everybody will be champion. Only eight guys will be champion at the time. But if you still love this fight, keep going."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below:
In his rematch against Sean O'Malley at UFC 316, Dvalishvili dominated the opening rounds, blending sharp striking with wrestling pressure. O'Malley struggled to find space or rhythm as 'The Machine' kept pouring on the pressure.
In the third round, Dvalishvili dragged the fight back to the mat and locked in an anaconda choke that left no escape.
It was Dvalishvili’s second successful title defense this year and his 13th straight win.
Merab Dvalishvili is open to a potential Alexandre Pantoja superfight
Merab Dvalishvili is not shying away from the idea of a potential superfight with UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Speaking after his dominant win at UFC 316, Dvalishvili welcomed the matchup if Pantoja were to move up to bantamweight.
The Georgian champion stated he would have no problem taking that fight should the UFC be interested. During the aforementioned interaction with Ariel Helwani, Dvalishvili said:
"Yes, if he will move up in my weight class and UFC [is] interested in that, no problem. That will be a fight I’m sure a lot of people will be interested in and no problem. I respect Pantoja. Pantoja will be a top opponent for me. If Pantoja wants this and if UFC wants this, I have no problem with that."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (30:40):
