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Enda McElhinney’s tips for Saturday’s main event in the Las Vegas Sphere include a win for Sean O’Malley in the early rounds.
UFC 306 will come live from the Las Vegas Sphere this weekend with UFC President Dana White promising a unique visual spectacle.
Sean O’Malley’s second defence of his Bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili is the main event, while the first ever women’s trilogy takes place in the co-main event as Alex Grasso faces Valentina Shevchenko.
The card will be a “love letter to Mexico” with a number of short films running in-between fights in the high tech arena.
Best bets
Sean O’Malley to win @ 8/11
Under 3.5 rounds @ 6/4
Sean O’Malley to win by KO, TKO, DQ – @ 13/10
Suga’s star to continue to shine
Sean O’Malley was tipped for stardom ever since his Contender Series appearance in 2017 when Snoop Dogg commented on his viral knockout.
A precise sharp-shooter with superior footwork to most in MMA, the American quickly drew early comparisons to Conor McGregor.
Although nobody will be able to match the personality and hype generated by the Irishman there is no doubt O’Malley has filled a void in his absence from the sport with plenty of room for his shine still to grow.
Wherever there have been doubts over his ability to reach the top or to handle a particular opponent, O’Malley has usually obliged.
His title win over Aljamain Sterling was the biggest example, when coming up against an experienced grappler he landed a devastating counter right hand that led to the finish sequence in round two, moments after defending a takedown.
Heading to the Sphere feels like another moment that O’Malley will eat up, and send his star even higher.
Judges may not be needed
That said, cardio machine Merab Dvalishvili is undoubtedly O’Malley’s toughest test to date.
Hailing from a Combat Sambo background, Dvalishvili isn’t overly reliant on ground control and instead uses his takedowns to create chaos in the pursuit of disrupting his opponent’s gameplan.
The Georgian set a UFC record 49 takedown attempts against Petr Yan securing just 11, while against Jose Aldo he did not secure a single takedown from sixteen attempts but came out the unanimous decision winner of both of these fights.
Dvalishvili dominated the second and third round against Henry Cejudo last time out but was caught by the former champion in the first round, showing he is hittable.
O’Malley has a 62 per-cent takedown defence and was able to defend both prolonged takedown attempts from Dvalishvili’s teammate Aljamain Sterling in their title fight.
Given this, O’Malley’s best chance of victory looks to be in the first half of the fight using his array of weapons to deter the Georgian’s attacks and seek a finish just as he did when winning UFC gold.
The majority of Dvalishvili’s fights usually go the distance with his second round TKO of Marlon Moraes in 2021 his only UFC finish to date.
However knowing the dangers of O’Malley on the feet, should the Georgian secure his takedowns early he may test his resolve and push for a finish.
There have also been rumours of a staph infection for Dvalishvili, which if true, would also be detrimental to his usual unrelenting stamina.
Accuracy the key
O’Malley possesses a 61 per-cent striking accuracy and has six KO/TKO wins so far in the UFC.
His ability to set traps with his movement will be a big weapon here in the early rounds.
Dvalishvili usually has a disregard for his opponents power, but O’Malley’s style brings something different to the table.
The American is also the taller fighter by five inches and has a four inch reach advantage, which will be vital in managing the range.
Another potentially important factor is a recent cut above the eye from sparring which was posted by Dvalishvili on social media.
If O’Malley can open this back up early and the blood starts flowing, the referee could well be tempted to step in if Dvalishvili gets hurt.
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