Merab Dvalishvili taps Sean O’Malley, retains title at UFC 316

NEWARK, N.J. — Merab Dvalishvili put a a stamp on his two-fight rivalry with Sean O’Malley on Saturday night, dominating the challenger in a third-round submission victory at UFC 316 at Prudential Center.

Dvalishvili (20-4) took the 135-pound title from O’Malley (18-3) in a unanimous decision at UFC Noche in September, in a competitive affair. Saturday inside Prudential Center was not close in the least. Dvalishvili pushed O’Malley backwards with constant pressure, out-landing him on the feet in the process. He picked him up and slammed him in the third, and secured a D’Arce choke at the 4:42 mark.

The victory marked Dvalishvili’s 13th straight, which ties him for the fourth-longest win streak in UFC history. He also moved into fourth on the all-time list of bantamweight wins with 12.

“I just work every day and repeat,” Dvalishvili said. “Training is number one for me. … It doesn’t matter what you have as long as you know where you’re going and you have a goal. Guys, please believe in your dreams and work for them. Everything is possible.”

O’Malley, who underwent hip surgery and made several life changes ahead of the rematch, was gracious in defeat. He simply had no answer for Dvalishvili’s smothering style. He showed composure and threw some threatening shots here and there, but quickly fell behind in every statistic.

According to UFC Stats, Dvalishvili outlanded him 135-34 in total strikes, and he converted five of 12 takedowns.

“I didn’t feel like it was going to go like that, unfortunately,” O’Malley said. “Merab is a motherf—er. I just feel super grateful I get to do this. I have a two-week old and a 4-year old, a perfect wife. I’m excited to go home and spend some time with them. But Merab is a motherf—er.”

It is Dvalishvili’s second defense of the 135-pound title. He recorded his first defense against Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, in January. He is expected to face No. 1 contender Cory Sandhagen in his next fight. Sandhagen (18-5) is coming off a second-round finish of Deiveson Figueiredo last month.

Saturday’s fight marked the first time O’Malley lost via submission. Dvalishvili entered the weekend ranked the No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world in the UFC.