UFC 306 goes down at The Sphere in Las Vegas and the main event is going to be an absolute banger for the bantamweight title. The champion “Suga” Sean O’Malley (18-1) will look to defend his title against top contender Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (17-4).
Dvalishvili made his octagon debut back in 2017 and he got off to a really rough start. Merab lost his first two fights and it wasn’t clear what his future would be with the UFC. Then, he turned into The Machine. Dvalishvili has won ten fights in a row now and he’s stepped up the competition along the way to get to this title shot. His last three wins came against former champions Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo.
While he’s been on an incredible run, he’ll still be the betting underdog tonight against the champion Sean O’Malley. O’Malley became a star after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. From there, the UFC built him up. After defeating Petr Yan, he earned a title shot against Aljamain Sterling. O’Malley knocked Sterling out and then defended his title against Chito Vera ahead of this title fight with Dvalishvili.
UFC 306 Prediction
I’m not going to lie, I’ve picked Dvalishvili to lose his last three fights and all three fights I’ve been proven wrong. He’s been wobbled but he’s never faltered. Henry Cejudo rocked him in the first round but Merab just kept coming forward and won a clear decision to earn this shot at UFC 306.
Dvalishvili is going to come forward with constant pressure and he’s going to be in O’Malley’s face from the jump. That said, can he avoid getting hit with the nuclear shot from O’Malley. O’Malley is a sniper and Dvalishvili has been hurt several times inside the octagon. The odds are that O’Malley is going to rock him.
The big question is whether O’Malley can finish him. If O’Malley cannot finish him, Dvalishvili is going to suffocate him over the course of five rounds. The UFC 306 main event only has two outcomes if you ask me. Either O’Malley puts Merab away in the first or second round or Dvalishvili does what he does and suffocates O’Malley on his way to winning a decision.
While I’ve gone back-and-forth here, I like O’Malley to retain his title. I just think his striking is too sharp and he will land the big shots he needs to retain his title.
Prediction: Sean O’Malley by TKO