UFC 306: UFC NOCHE: Sphere; Las Vegas, Nevada
If you dig deep, originally Dana White would have preferred that this card be at the T-Mobile Arena. But they made a deal with Canelo Alvarez for Mexican Independence Weekend instead. That was the starting point to this “one-off”. Or so it is believed to be. But it went off pretty much without any crazy hitches. Although, “a celebration of Mexicans” brought to you by RIYADH SEASON (Saudi “blood” money) seems odd. Anyways; the superb cardio gets Merab Dvalishvili what he wanted all along. Without having to go through teammates.
The 33-year old Georgian toyed with Sean OMalley for five-rounds. But looking at the big picture it’s actually a double edged sword. Sure it’s nice to have a humble quiet champion. And although he’s growing his game somewhat, “The Machine” is far from a finisher. Something you definitely want in a fighter, let alone a champion. Dvalishvili is now riding 11-fights in a row. And he’s taken out four connsecutive champions. All by decision though (this one being 49-46, 48-47 2x).
O’Malley’s reign ends just after a single defense. He did successfully go to the body when he wasn’t in his own head, with jabs and kicks. He was only taken down six of fifteen times, which is a positive. But finished with 49-91 total strikes. Not good for a sniper that controls distance. And is pushing himself to be the next great mega-star. Where as Dvalishvili finished with 214-310 and 9:23 of ground control time.
If you head to Longo-MMA in Garden City, you can see the crazy pressure he applies twice a day. But it’s not just a relentless forward pressure. Which you need to have ridiculous cardio to continue to always be bouncing as much as he does. But is that enough?
Dvalishvili uses feints to set up his takedowns. And once you’re on the mat, it’s power knees to the body and the use of a front headlock for control, besides ground-and-pound. All positives, but now he has instantly become the hunted. And like they say, “be careful for what you wish for”.
Superb Cardio Gets Merab A Bigger Spotlight Now
The instant talk immediately is that next up is Umar Nurmagomedov. That’s a bad fight. After all, the Dagestani might very well be the future of the division in a back and forth trade of runs with Dvalishvili. But his resume isn’t filled with names. And there’s at least one other bantamweight with his eyes locked on him.
Deiveson Figueiredo has the pop in the gloves, and is no slouch on the ground. He’s also been through wars. Something neither Dvalishvili or Nurmagomedov have been through. We all know the prowess of the Nurmagomedov’s on the mat. But “The Machine” is quicker and a bit stronger. While he’s a lot quicker than “Figgy”, the Brazilian also has a hard hitting kicking game in his arsenal. Figueiredo also goes to the body really well in close.
Does the 36-year old have the TNT to one-punch drop Dvalishvili? Not anymore. But he does have things we have yet to see Dvalishvili have to deal with. And he usually doesn’t bite on feints. Although that wrestling pace might just keep the strap on Long Island for awhile.
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