Sean
O’Malley has gone above and beyond to prepare for his rematch
against Merab
Dvalishvili.
O’Malley will get a chance to avenge his title loss against
Dvalishvili in the main event at
UFC 316 on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New
Jersey. The former bantamweight champ was dethroned by “The
Machine” via unanimous decision at UFC 306 last year.
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The loss prompted significant changes in his lifestyle to prepare
for the rematch. “Suga” has stayed away from the camera, stopped
smoking marijuana and had surgery to repair a hip injury.
Additionally, the flamboyant competitor has abstained from social
media almost entirely.
Apart from the lifestyle changes, O’Malley also claims to have
changed his training method. Most notable is his focus on
grappling, whether to work on his defensive wrestling to stop
takedowns or to get up in the event that his seat hits the canvas.
The former champ believes that this specialized camp has allowed
him to be the most prepared possible to face a takedown machine
like his opponent. However, O’Malley also thinks he can hold his
own against the champ for five rounds if need be, saying as much on
the “Jim
Rome Show” on Wednesday as he discussed the upcoming match:
“This training camp has been a long training camp,” the Montana
native admitted. “It’s been just a lot of grappling. It’s a lot of
grappling. That’s all we’ve been doing. You know, when you’re doing
that five-six days a week, you know you’re gonna improve. Been in
camp for a long time now, I think about 12 or 13 weeks of focusing
on Merab, focusing on getting better in that area. It’s been a long
camp and I’ve definitely improved… I know I can beat Merab. He’s
open to be getting knocked out. I’m very confident that I can put
his lights out. I’m also confident that I can beat him in a
five-round fight.”
O’Malley won the title by knocking out Aljamain
Sterling and defended it with a decision over Marlon Vera.
Since coming up short to the Georgian, he has yet to set foot in
the Octagon again. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili has since defended his
throne against the previously undefeated Umar
Nurmagomedov.