Sean
O’Malley will close the show for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s historic card at The Sphere on
Saturday, but he won’t be distracted by the spectacle of it
all.
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“It’s a big fight feel,” O’Malley told TMZ Sports. “It’s the first
combat sporting event at The Sphere for the UFC, possibly the last
for the UFC. One and done, so it’s a big deal.”
UFC
306 is expected to feature plenty of new production elements at
the one-of-a-kind venue, including a movie between fights and
different worlds depicted on the massive LED screen during the
bouts themselves. However, when O’Malley steps into the cage to
defend his bantamweight belt against Merab
Dvalishvili in the evening’s headliner, his focus will be only
on his opponent.
“I’m gonna show up, get into an Octagon — the same Octagon I always
step into — and do what I do,” O’Malley said. “The whole
presentation, the whole show, I’m really not going to enjoy it like
a bystander. For me, [I’m] laser focused, tunnel vision, kill Merab
— that’s all that’s on my mind. I don’t really care about all that
extra stuff. It’ll be cool for the fans, but I have a mission.”
Dvalishvili Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order
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Merab’s relentless gas tank and wrestling — he has the most
takedowns in UFC bantamweight history by a considerable margin —
would seem to make him a difficult task for the striking-minded
O’Malley. The champion sees things differently, though.
“I would say stylistically I’m a nightmare matchup for Merab,”
O’Malley said.
With that being said, O’Malley is also well aware of Dvalishvili’s
skills and he respects the challenge that his opponent will
present.
“He’s ranked No. 1. He’s on a 10-fight win streak,” O’Malley said. “The only reason he’s never fought for a title or was never the
champion is because Aljamain
Sterling was there. He’s as dangerous as it gets. Cardio
machine. He doesn’t get tired. He’s been rocked a few times, but
he’s got a good chin.
“He got rocked hard from Marlon
Moraes and ended up finishing him. So he’s very durable. He’s
got good cardio. He’s obviously skilled. He’s on a 10-fight win
streak. He’s very, very dangerous.”