Merab Dvalishvili dismisses wrestling-heavy strategy ahead of UFC 306

UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili might try to beat Sean O’Malley at his own game this weekend inside the Octagon.

Dvalishvili and O’Malley headline UFC 306 this Saturday at the Las Vegas Sphere. His bantamweight title shot comes after a long win streak in the cage, including recent wins over former champions Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo.

Dvalishvili is recognized as one of the best wrestlers in the UFC, after setting numerous records over this recent string of victories. His win over Yan featured a UFC record 49 takedown attempts en route to a unanimous decision win.

Against the sharpshooter O’Malley, Dvalishvili’s best approach to a win might be utilizing his wrestling against the bantamweight champion. But, Dvalishvili feels he can beat O’Malley at any aspect of mixed martial arts.

Merab Dvalishvili confident in striking with Sean O’Malley

In a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Dvalishvili was asked whether or not he’ll need to implement a wrestling-heavy approach against O’Malley.

“Lots of MMA fans, very casual, they don’t — if they’re not watching MMA very close or they’re not training, they just say things,” Dvalishvili said. “I’m [the] number one contender. I am fighting for the belt. I’m good everywhere, even striking when I need to strike. I beat José Aldo and I wasn’t able to take him down. That means I can strike too. Maybe it was boring, (but) not because of me. José Aldo was being smart.” (h/t MMANews)

Dvalishvili went to Mexico during his UFC 306 fight camp to improve his striking. Time will tell if the lessons he learned will pay off in the biggest fight of his career.

O’Malley likely made takedown defense a significant part of his fight camp. Dvalishvili may need to employ a diverse attack against O’Malley to earn the belt.

Fans are in for a treat this weekend at UFC 306. If Dvalishvili’s comments are any indication, he might take an unorthodox approach to his game plan.