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Sean O’Malley brings in UFC GOAT to prepare for Merab Dvalishvili

Mathew Riddle

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Sean O'Malley is pulling out all the stops for his UFC 316 bantamweight title rematch with Merab Dvalishvili.

On first impressions, O'Malley was dominated by Dvalishvili in their first fight at UFC 306, but upon further review, the fight was closer than it seemed. 'Suga' struggled with Dvalishvili's pace and grappling, as do most fighters, but he found some success with his striking.

Fast approaching their rematch on June 7, O'Malley has brought in one of the most highly regarded MMA fighters of all time, Demetrious Johnson.

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Sean O'Malle
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Sean O'Malley trains with Demetrious Johnson ahead of UFC 316 rematch with Merab Dvalishvili

Grappling Reels shared an Instagram story on May 21 showing O'Malley training with former UFC flyweight and former ONE FC bantamweight champion Demetrious Johnson.

'Mighty Mouse' built a career by being one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters of all time, and makes the top-three of many fans' GOAT lists. He could strike well enough, but his grappling and submission game made him a force in the UFC Octagon.

O'Malley is no slouch in the grappling department either, having submitted Combat Wrestling champion Takanori Gomi in a contest in 2019. Since then, he's shown exemplary grappling skills, primarily in his fight with Petr Yan.

Whether it can be argued that O'Malley deserved the title fight or not, he's certainly bringing in the right talent to prepare. By not taking a fight to warm up for a rematch, O'Malley is risking locking himself out of the title picture by suffering back-to-back losses against the champ.

O'Malley and Dvalishvili are just one title fight on the 12-fight UFC 316 card (subject to change):

  • (c) Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley; bantam title
  • (c) Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison; bantam title
  • Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer; middle
  • Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland; welter
  • Mario Bautista vs. (debut) Patchy Mix; bantam
  • Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van; fly
  • Ariane Lipski da Silva vs. Cong Wang; fly
  • Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta; heavy
  • (debut) Joo Sang Yoo vs. Jeka Saragih; feather
  • Khaos Williams vs. Uros Medic; welter
  • Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro; light heavy
  • Quillian Salkilld vs. Yanal Ashmouz; light

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with half a decade of digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on Bloody Elbow, The Fight Fanatic, and Heavy on UFC. He runs Warrior Tribune and can be contacted by his Muckrack profile.

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