Sean O’Malley has yet to fight after losing his UFC bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili. But everything about O’Malley feels different ahead of their rematch at UFC 316.
The rainbow-colored hair is gone, replaced with a quiet blonde. His bravado remains, but tempered. His tone is more composed. Even as he breaks down Dvalishvili’s flaws ahead of Saturday’s headliner, the criticism carries admiration.
“Skill for skill, I have better skills than Merab,” O’Malley told CBS Sports ahead of Saturday’s rematch at UFC 316. “He’s a dog, he finds a way to win, and he’s done it time and time again. He’s very experienced. He’s very mentally strong.
“He has good skills, but I know there are many holes I can capitalize on. With the right preparation, he’s beatable.”
The same maturity colors his views on rivals like Cory Sandhagen and Ilia Topuria, two fighters O’Malley once sparred with verbally. Any lingering animosity has been replaced with praise.
UFC 316: Merab Dvalishvili says Sean O’Malley’s coach is ‘still a cheater’ despite recent praise for champion
Shakiel Mahjouri
O’Malley attributes his new mindset to a personal overhaul. In the eight months since UFC 306, he’s distanced himself from social media, video games, and marijuana.
“Disconnecting from the Internet world is like a whole other universe,” O’Malley said. “I’ve been disconnected from that, and it feels good.”
This mindset mirrors Alexander Volkanovski’s reflections before reclaiming the featherweight title earlier this year. Like Volkanovski, O’Malley is less fixated on the allure of gold and more concerned with savoring the moment.
“I’m a lot more at peace with how everything played out,” O’Malley said. “Once you win the belt, you think, ‘OK, I have a belt at home. It feels good. That’s history. I’m in the history books.’ There’s a sense of relief in that. This second one is more so for myself.”
Check out the full interview with Sean O’Malley below.
Some questioned if O’Malley deserved an immediate rematch. Critics argued that one successful title defense, which came against Marlon Vera, did not justify another crack at Dvalishvili. O’Malley has since briefly trained with former champions Israel Adesanya and Demetrious Johnson, but those experiences haven’t been tested in live combat.
O’Malley is confident he’ll perform more competently after surgically repairing a torn labrum. O’Malley said he suffered the injury before they last fought in September, and it prevented him from implementing the wrestling-heavy camp required to train for Dvalishvili.
“To fight someone like Merab, you need to grapple and wrestle multiple times a week, day after day,” O’Malley said. “I wasn’t able to do that last time in camp.”
O’Malley believes he’s now physically and mentally prepared. His words are calmer, and his commitment is all-encompassing. But moral victories only mean so much. Dvalishvili, a relentless champion, is the perfect test of whether O’Malley’s growth holds up under pressure.
