UFC
UFC

Merab Dvalishvili submits O'Malley, retains title and becomes a UFC superstar

The Georgian successfully completed his second defense of the bantamweight title

Merab Dvalishvili, against Sean O'Malley at UFC 316.
Merab Dvalishvili, against Sean O'Malley at UFC 316.LAPRESSE
Actualizado

Merab Dvalishvili (20-4) is not called 'The Machine' for nothing. He submitted Sean O'Malley (18-3), ended the American's rematch and successfully defended the UFC bantamweight title for the second time.

He devoured the already extinct aura of 'Suga' and reaped his 13th consecutive victory. After starting with a 0-2 record in the UFC, he is now vying to be the best bantamweight in history. A story to .

Awkward moment UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov snubs Kate Abdo's handshake for religious reasons

The man with infinite cardio did not fail. While O'Malley showed signs of improvement in the opening minutes, the ing of time only consolidated the Georgian's dominance. He swallowed up O'Malley as he did last September and stood firm on the throne.

Dvalishvili, who had Aleksandre Topuria (6-1) watching from the stands, did not falter... and exceeded all expectations. He achieved his first submission since 2017 (the first in the UFC) to break the decision-making dynamic and consolidate his new role as a UFC superstar.

The co-main event was for Kayla Harrison (19-1), who continues to make history: double Olympic judo champion, PFL champion and now UFC bantamweight champion. The American submitted Julianna Pena (11-6) with a kimura in the second round and claimed UFC gold after only three fights in the company. After the fight, Amanda Nunes (23-5) stepped up to confirm her return and star in the first face-off of what could be one of the biggest fights in MMA history.

Also worth mentioning, for better or worse, are Joshua Van (14-2) and Patchy Mix (20-2). The 23-year-old Burmese fighter is already 7-1 in the UFC, steamrolled Bruno Silva and is soon to be a flyweight title contender. Mix's debut, on the other hand, was not as expected. The former Bellator bantamweight champion looked very bad against Mario Bautista (16-2).

UFCMerab Dvalishvili and his complicated training camps: "He definitely broke his finger..."
UFCSean O'Malley, UFC's polyamorous star, takes extreme measures to win: "I haven't done it once this year"
UFCUFC 316 Dvalishvili vs O'Malley 2 fight card: Here are all the fights on this weekend's card