Ray Longo can’t see a world the place Merab Dvalishvili takes the title from Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 with no wrestle.
Longo, who primarily coached Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for a lot of his profession at Serra-Longo Combat Staff on Lengthy Island, N.Y., earlier than the bantamweight contender relocated to Las Vegas, thinks O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) goes to seek out his moments to land together with his fingers in Saturday’s title bout at Sphere (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews).
It’s only a matter of whether or not Dvalishvili can soak up the harm and proceed to push ahead into his personal recreation plan.
“He’s going to must eat some punches to win this battle – interval,” Longo stated on “The Anik & Florian Podcast” forward of UFC 306. “O’Malley is a sharpshooter. In case you go in there considering you’re not going to get hit otherwise you’re simply going to do that or do this, I feel that’s an enormous mistake.”
Dvalishvili, up to now in his profession, has by no means been knocked out. He’s been dropped simply as soon as in his 12-fight UFC tenure, in response to UFC Stats, and that got here towards former title challenger Marlon Moraes in an epic Efficiency of the Evening comeback at UFC 266 in September 2021.
Longo remembers the Moraes battle properly, he stated, and he hopes Dvalishvili gained’t repeat errors going into the UFC title shot towards O’Malley that he’s labored so exhausting for with a 10-fight profitable streak.
“If I inform you what number of occasions I labored on getting beneath the left hook with him (earlier than the Moraes battle) – and that’s precisely the punch he acquired hit with,” Longo stated. “I stated, ‘You’re going to must stroll by way of fireplace sooner or later on this battle.’ That’s precisely what he did. It’s going to be type of the identical factor. Merab is aware of what he’s up towards.
“I feel O’Malley is basically good. I don’t assume O’Malley has ever confronted anyone with the strain of Merab, and I don’t assume Merab’s fought anyone with the size and the accuracy and the ability of O’Malley.”
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