The UFC 306 was a power-packed event with two title fights on the card. Among those was the main event, O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili, with Sean “Suga” O’Malley’s Bantamweight championship on the line.
Hosted at the Sphere in Las Vegas Valley under the ‘Noche UFC’ banner, the main event was sure to be a thriller. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a one-sided affair for five long rounds.
Dvalishvili took home a dominant win against O’Malley with a unanimous decision of 5-0. The Georgian fighter displayed a level of endurance that was head and shoulders above the rest. ‘Suga’ Sean was never to be ruled out, though, ahead of the start of the event.
That is the reason why Dvalishvili’s dominance came as a surprise to experts and fans alike. Many were unable to make sense of it, but Joe Rogan has given his two cents on the bout eight months later.
Speaking on his podcast’s latest episode with legendary Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Rogan blamed money to be a factor behind O’Malley’s defeat. The 57-year-old highlighted how fighters often take up big-money, high-profile events despite being under-prepared.
“There’s a lot of these fighters that take these fights because it’s a lot of money and it’s a big event, and they don’t want to cancel, and they get a significant injury. Sean could not wrestle. Imagine not being able to wrestle in a camp, and you gotta face Merab,” said Rogan.
O’Malley’s situation was so bad that just weeks after the fight, he had to get surgery on his hips and spent months in rehab before challenging Merab to a rematch.
But regardless of the status of his hips, the rematch has a good chance of being a repeat of UFC 306, courtesy of Merab’s relentless cardio.
Singing praise for “The Machine” and his superior endurance, Rogan continued, “He’s a f*cking animal. That guy’s superhuman. There’s no one like him. The cardio that guy has is off the charts.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it. He doesn’t get tired. And he’s full gas-no brakes, the entire fight. It’s just smothering, overwhelming people,” he added.
Rogan also recalled Dvalishvili’s fight with Umar Nurmagomedov and hailed the Dagestani for holding his own. However, he too was no match for the title holder.
Suga awaits Umar’s fate
Despite displaying a lot of heart, Umar was found to be simply too inexperienced to be dancing the lambada with the Georgian.
It also didn’t help that he broke his hand in the very first round and couldn’t mount an effective assault on the feet.
Merab, on the other hand, shot seven successful takedowns and made it difficult for the Dagestani to find any rhythm whatsoever. And even though Umar tried to counter the champion, he was met with relentless pressure.
By the 5th round, Umar was visibly breathing loudly while Merab showedboated his way to a decision win.
If this fight is any indication, this is exactly what O’Malley will have to endure in the rematch. So, unless he has magically improved his cardio and figured out a way to deal with Merab’s chain wrestling, UFC 316 will be another long night he would like to forget.
