Sean O'Malley will look for his second bantamweight title defense when he puts his belt on the line against Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC 306 main event.
O’Malley, 29, has only one loss on his record against Marlon Vera in 2020, a defeat O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) avenged this past March when he beat Vera by unanimous decision at UFC 299. O’Malley was sort of fast-tracked to the title after earning a controversial win over Petr Yan, but O’Malley made that a moot point by finishing Aljamain Sterling in August 2023 to claim the 135-pound title.
Many consider Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) a nightmare matchup for O’Malley, given “The Machine’s” relentless takedown and grappling game. It’s a formula that’s led Dvalishvili on a 10-fight winning streak against the likes of Jose Aldo, Yan, and Henry Cejudo, among others.
Oddsmakers at FanDuel have opened with the sitting champion as the betting underdog, albeit a slight one, with O’Malley listed at +108. Dvalishvili is the favorite at -138.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
