Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker shared his opinion on a possible fight between current bantamweight titleholder Sean O’Malley and Georgian Merab Dvalishvili.
Sean O’Malley looked as good as he ever has this past weekend at UFC 299, where he successfully defended the bantamweight title.
His shut out victory over Marlon “Chito” Vera really showed what “Sugar” is capable of over five rounds of striking. For many, though avenging his loss to Vera was a big thing for O’Malley, his real first test as a champion comes in what is expected to be his next fight.
The 135-pound champ would have likely been facing Merab Dvalishvili in his first title defense if it wasn’t for the history that he has with “Chito.”
With a 10-fight win streak under his belt, phenomenal grappling skills, and seemingly unlimited cardio, “The Machine” could be O’Malley’s toughest fight to date.
Robert Whittaker Says O’Malley Can Pose Merab Dvalishvili Some Serious Problems
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker goes against the grain when it comes to his thoughts on the matchup between O’Malley and Dvalishvili.
A lot of people would be picking the Georgian fighter to bully the bantamweight champion like he does to all of his opponents, but “The Reaper” believes this will be far easier said than done.
On the latest episode of the MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker gave his early thoughts on that fight and how he believes “Sugar” will have some huge threats in store for Dvalishvili.
“I think Merab and Sean are a bad matchup. I think Sean’s spacing and just his creativity, and not to mention, Sean has the entire skillset, the entire arsenal,” Whittaker said. “If you think he’s not going to be working straight line attacks that that lead knee he did against Vera after he threw it in what, the third or the fourth? He threw it in the third and that was only after he saw Vera shelling up and putting his head down.
“That was an adjustment on the move. If you don’t think he’s going to be working things like that for Merab, you’re kidding yourself. Not to mention, like, Sean found the timing slot against Sterling, who is phenomenal I think in that division.”
O’Malley mentioned Dvalishvili’s name during his post-fight interview, during which he initially called out the featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria.
