[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] thinks the only way [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] loses to UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is by getting caught.
Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) challenges O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 306 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) main event at Sphere in Las Vegas.
Volkanovski thinks Dvalishvili’s relentless pace and durability will help him overcome O’Malley’s precision and power.
“Is he (Dvalishvili) going to be open to being hit? Yes, I believe so,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “I think Sean O’Malley’s eye is incredible. His movements are going to make it a little bit hard, but his relentless takedown pressure, or his pressure on takedowns, I think he’s going to eventually get it unless he gets knocked out.
“I don’t care how good your footwork is, you’re not going to keep Merab away from you unless you put his lights out. That’s the only way that you don’t get taken down.”
Volkanovski sees a bit of himself in Dvalishvili. Volkanovski is coming off a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, but doesn’t see himself ever in a situation where he’d get outclassed throughout a fight. He won Round 1 against Topuria on all three judges’ scorecards before getting caught in Round 2.
“It’s always hard for me to bet against guys like Merab,” Volkanovski said. “I believe he’s like myself and quite a few fighters out there that are just never die attitude, never give up, they’re just constantly there and just grinding, and grinding, and it’s just too much for people.
“Someone like Merab, the only way I see him losing is getting knocked out and that’s how I’ve always seen myself. …Guys like Merab are hard to bet against, but Sean O’Malley’s eye is so good though. I think I’m going to have to go with Merab.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.