Path to Victory
Kyte: This one feels pretty straightforward and obvious, but if we can find some nuance here, let’s try and sort it out.
What’s the path to victory for each guy?
Chartier: For Merab, it’s do the same thing he did last time — do Merab things — but for O’Malley, I think you have to get on offense and not worry so much about defense.
Keep it on the feet, but go first, and go first with the proper weapons: jabs to the body, teeps to the body, and use your footwork. He has great footwork, he has good eyes, and you’ve got the big cage, so use your footwork, and when you’re not evading, you have to be going with strikes.
Even if he does shoot a takedown, if you can land two or three jabs before he enters, it’s gonna add up, but if you’re sitting there waiting, that’s a path to victory for Merab.
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Kyte: I’ll be really interested to see now that he’s spent 25 minutes in there with him and knows that Merab isn’t looking to grind you out on the ground, isn’t even really looking to find a submission or maul you with ground-and-pound, how that changes O’Malley’s approach to defending and working back to his feet
Does it allow him to be a little more aggressive in terms of his own offense and in terms of working back to his feet, risking positions in order to get up and get clear of him? He’s gonna get taken down, but is he a little more active in trying to get up, create space because last time he seemed very resigned at times to being stuck in those wrestling exchanges.
