Merab Dvalishvili took the reins of rooster weight and ran with them since he demanded the title of the UFC against Sean O'malley last September, with a lot of jokes dressed between the two camps.
Now, Dvalishvili and O'malley are ready to get things back to the UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, New Jersey – and the rivals were surprisingly cordial during recent meetings despite their ardent history.
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“He's funny, he's cute, and he's a good fighter too,” said Dvalishvili Tuesday on “The Ariel Helwani Show” by Non-Couronne “. “I only have positive feelings (about O'malley), apart from he spoke stupid of my friend, Aljamain Sterling.
“I feel bad, in fact, for this guy. I stole his jacket, I stole his belt, I stole his fans, I made it humble. He is different now. Well for him, and good for me too, how everything went. Life is good, the camp is good. I am grateful for everything.”
Whatever the personal person of the beef with O'malley during the construction of their first fight at the UFC 306, Dvalishvili maintains that there has never been a real disdain for his part for the colored American. However, the same thing cannot be said for the head coach of O'malley, Tim Welch, who attracted Dvalishvili's anger for his antics before the fighting and fighting during this September title fight.
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Since the announcement of the Revenge match, O'malley and Welch have both spoken of their podcast “Timbosugarshow” and have sang the praises of Dvalishvili. Any bad blood on the side of O'malley apparently dissipated, as evidenced His Monday conversation with without crown.
However, as pleasant as it was to hear the praise of his challenger this time, Dvalishvili does not know how to feel.
“It was weird because they were talking so kind to me,” said Dvalishvili. “Of course, everyone likes compliments, but it was a strange feeling. I feel like a friend with them. Even Tim, the guy I don't like, when he was talking well, my heart has warmed a little. Like, no, no, don't do that, guys. I need to be crazy about you. It was a weird feeling.
“I don't hate Sean O'malley, I just want to fight with him. Tim, he made big mistakes. He should be a professional coach, but he is not a professional coach. He tried to cheat. He was a cheating coach. He tried the lack of respect (me), and that's why I was talking about garbage.
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“I am a professional fighter, and I only made this mistake once when I had my beginnings in UFC. I looked at my opponent and I said to myself:” I don't want to hit you “, added Dvalishvili. “After obtaining a controversial loss like that, I learned. I don't think I'm going to make mistakes, even if I like my opponent. I will be professional and I will be the same guy, and I will fight hard.”
Dvalishvili's revenge match with O'malley will mark the second defense of the title for the Georgian champion after having won his first in a unanimously contested decision on Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January.
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O'malley, on the other hand, was on the way after having undergone surgery for a torn labrum after his loss of title.
Dvalishvili, 34, has maintained a busy schedule as a fighter and plans to stick to it as a champion. This is one of the main reasons why he does not see a problem with O'malley obtaining an immediate revenge match of title.
“I understand why people say what they say, but I think I will be busy anyway,” said Dvalishvili. “So I'm going to fight O'malley. Me, I don't look at him (on that) as an easy fight. We know he has a power with direct elimination. I do not look at this fight as easy, in fact. It's not like that. I don't want to forget that I was going hard for when I fought it the first time. Then, I was a game.
Merab Dvalishvili was everywhere Sean O'malley of the Opening Horn of the UFC 306. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
(Christian Petersen via Getty Images)
“O'malley, he hits hard. Even when he just touched me a little, I felt his power. The guy can crack. So I have to be intelligent and I must be patient in this fight. I am sure he will make adjustments and will defend the disassembly better, so he goes ahead this time. It will be different.
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“I am happy. I think many people have criticized O'malley to get a revenge match,” added Dvalishvili. “I think he deserves it, and I also want to discover it. He made a lot of excuses after the fight, and now he has done an operation, and I know that he will make adjustments and he will change the game plans. It will be a completely different fight, but otherwise, As O'malley says: “If you don't like him, don't look at him.” “”
Dvalishvili spoke almost favorably about O'malley against him after having obtained 25 minutes of experience in the octagon together, but the risk of O'malley is very clear: losing twice against the same champion at the UFC, and suddenly you will find yourself stuck in career limbo.
From the siege of Dvalishvili, he feels more lax with the inverted roles. He knows that each side of rivalry will seek to make their declarations in different ways at the UFC 316.
“It's a good fight for Sean because, as I said, he fights the same guy,” said Dvalishvili. “He will make adjustments. He remembers everything from the last fight. And now if he (fighting) someone else (before taking me off), he will focus on someone, so he will come back – it's going to be too much. Now his head will do me just (I get started).
“I also want to show my striking skills. My goal will be to stop him, from him or KO. It will be a big fight, and I am excited for that.”
