Deserved or not, Sean O’Malley’s title rematch versus Merab Dvalishvili is fast approaching.
The two will collide a second time next weekend (June 7, 2025) in the main event of UFC 316 from Newark, New Jersey. In the first bout, O’Malley held a clear striking advantage and was even able to hurt Dvalishvili late in the fight with a body kick, but he spent went too much time stuck on bottom versus the relentless wrestler. He lost a clear-cut decision almost entirely because of Dvalishvili’s wrestling and top control, which largely stymied the sniper’s offense.
It’s clear where O’Malley needs to improve in the rematch, but fans are scratching their heads at his latest training footage, which includes teaming up with kickboxing champion Israel Adesanya and lots of fast-flying pad work. Of course, it also doesn’t help that his head coach is publicly blaming the Sphere’s lighting for O’Malley’s title loss.
Perhaps to assuage some of those concerns, O’Malley made it clear that his extensive UFC 316 fight camp has really focused on grappling in a recent interview with Jim Rome. He believes he’s improved and expects to demonstrate it on fight night.
️ Sean O’Malley:
“It’s been a lot of grappling. That’s all we’ve been doing…
I gotta break the machine. I gotta beat him… I know I can beat Merab. He’s open to getting knocked out. I’m very confident that I can put his lights out.”
@jimromepic.twitter.com/CrgR4JNqWv
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 29, 2025
“Every training camp you go through, you get a little bit better,” O’Malley explained. “This training camp has been a long training camp. It’s been a lot of grappling, that’s all we’ve been doing. When you’re doing that five, six days a week, you’re going to improve. We’ve been in camp for a long time now, 12 or 13 weeks focused on Merab, focusing on getting better in that area. It’s been a long camp, and I’ve definitely improved.”
He concluded, “I’ve gotta break ‘The Machine.’ I’ve gotta beat him, win the positions. I know I can beat Merab. He’s open to getting knocked out. I’m very confident that I can put his lights out, I’m also confident I can beat him in a five-round fight.”
Wouldn’t it be funny if Merab lived up to his public stand-and-bang game plan only for O’Malley’s timing to be off from all the wrestling drills?
More likely, O’Malley’s wrestling improvement is put to the test within the first few minutes. He’s a talented athlete and quick learner, but it remains to be seen if that’s enough to best “The Machine” even after a dedicated grappling camp.
