Merab Dvalishvili had some explaining to do in the wake of his UFC 306 victory over Sean O’Malley last fall inside Sphere in Las Vegas, a dominant, five-round performance that crowned “The Machine” bantamweight champion of the world.
That’s because Dvalishvili wouldn’t stop kissing O’Malley throughout their contest.
Fortunately, the reigning 135-pound titleholder, who went on to defend his strap against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, plans on making a lip-free “statement” against “Suga” when they run it back atop the UFC 316 pay-per-view (PPV) card on June 7 in Newark.
“I do have extra motivation to finish this fight because the first fight I was going easy on him, but this time I’m looking for finish,” Dvalishvili told The Schmo. “I was laughing, I was showboating and stuff, and then I was kissing him. I’m not planning on kissing in this fight, I’m planning to finish him. If a kiss will come … I never plan this stuff, it’s just natural and depends how I’m going to feel. But I already kissed him, now it’s time to smash him.”
Dvalishvili (19-4) has just one finish across his last 12 wins and has gone to the judges’ scorecards in five straight fights. That said, “The Machine” has looked “superhuman” in each performance and may already have the title of best bantamweight in history.
Suga State Athletic Commission may have something to say about that.
O’Malley (18-2, 1 NC) has not competed since getting dominated by Dvalishvili at UFC 306 but expects a much better performance the second time around, thanks to hip surgery and the absence of pesky distractions, like weed and social media.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 316 click here.
