Sean O'Malley received a possible route map for beating Merab Dvalishvili from a surprising source.
UFC Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will meet for the second time in less than a year for the second time in less than a year at UFC 316 this summer. Their rematch comes only a few months after Dvalishvili O'Malley has dethroned to win the belt through a unanimous decision on UFC 306 last September.
Despite other Bantam weights in the mix for a title shot, the UFC matchmakers competed to O'Malley to get a second shot on Dvalishvili for a chance of championship relocation. O'Malley has not participated since their first fight, while Dvalishvili defended the Bantamweight title on UFC 311 against the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov.
While O'Malley strates his strategy for the Dvalishvili Rematch, one of his best Bantamweight colleagues explained a detailed strategy for him to possibly follow the best chance of winning.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Cory Sandhagen believes that Sean O'Malley should use an unorthodox approach for UFC 316
During a recent performance on the MightyCast -Podcast, UFC Bantamweight Competter Cory Sandhagen suggested what O'Malley has to do to defeat DvalishHvili.
“O'Malley's real chance to win this thing is the chance of a puncher, a bit,” said Sandhagen. “O'Malley's ability to get up was really bad in their first fight with Merab. He did step where … There are better ways to get up than the ways he was going to do it … O'Malley is going to be brought down a lot, and hopefully he learns to make much better. Is I immediately gone? And if Sean does much better, will he do it much better …
“Sean is not really a point guy, he is not going to score a number of outside choices and try to win that way. O'Malley wants to release your lights … and if he just keeps trying to release Merab's lights, I think it will start against him.
Sandhagen was then pressed on whether or not O'Malley should hunt for the Knock outpunch, or to follow a more methodical approach at UFC 316.
“I don't think the answer to beating Merab is a lot of footwork and keeping space, I think O'Malley is much longer … Umar tried it and O'Malley tried it the first time … That's a way to do it, but when a man has a huge gas tank that is just like a super hero, said Sandhagen said. “And that sounds very simple and perhaps not the most technical way, but I think that's a way to fight the conditioning piece … He doesn't have to bring it to Merab, he just has to try to prevent him, but not a thousand times and reset a thousand times … He just has to stand, defend the shots, and when Merab gets close to him, he just touches him.”
Sandhagen is one of the smartest spirits in the UFC, as evidenced by his creativity in the cage in recent victories over Song Yadong and Rob font. He will give UFC des Moines against former flying weight Champ Diveson Figueiredo next Saturday.
Cory Sandhagen frustrated about not confronted with its old idol in the UFC
While Sandhagen is preparing for his return this weekend, he is very sorry that he does not face a legendary name in the Octagon. Former UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz announced his retirement earlier this year, after he had withdrawn from his pension fight in UFC Seattle due to injury.
In the run -up to UFC des Moines, Sandhagen Cruz rippled as one hunter with whom he wanted him to have the chance to scrape during his legendary career. After the end of his fighting service, Cruz is a full-time focused on his MMA analyst work with the UFC broadcast team.
Sandhagen could possibly earn a Bantamweight title shot with an impressive performance this weekend. After a potential victory this weekend, Sandhagen holds the Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley Rematch in mind.