Sean O’Malley vows to “open up” Merab Dvalishvili’s cut at UFC 306

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley plans to open up the cut by Merab Dvalishvili’s eye at UFC 306.

O’Malley is set to defend his bantamweight title for the second time in the main event of UFC 306 at The Sphere in Las Vegas. It’s an intriguing matchup, but in the lead-up to the fight, Dvalishvili took to social media to show off a nasty cut near his eye.

Following Dvalishvili sharing the cut, UFC CEO Dana White criticized him and called him dumb. Sean O’Malley, meanwhile, says he is fine with Dvalishvili sharing the cut as he now has a new target as he vows to open the cut up.

O’Malley vows to open up Dvalishvili’s cut

“I am 100 percent going to open up that cut, whether it’s healed or not. I don’t know how much it can heal. I’ve never really had any bad cuts so I’m not sure really, but I’m going to be (targeting it). That’s the left side of his face and this right hand doesn’t miss. I’ll probably accidentally hit his nose before I hit that cut. That nose just kind of takes up like 85 percent of his face. So, I’m going to try and get around his nose and get to that cut,” O’Malley said to Kevin Iole.

If Sean O’Malley can open up the cut, it does risk the chance for a doctor stoppage. It is a smart play for O’Malley to want to open up the cut, as it could also hinder Dvalishvili’s vision in the bout.

Sean O’Malley is 18-1 and one NC as a pro. He’s coming off a decision win over Marlon Vera for the first time back in March. Before that, ‘Suga’ scored a KO win over Aljamain Sterling to win the bantamweight title. O’Malley is currently on a three-fight winning streak and a seven-fight unbeaten streak. He has notable wins over Petr Yan, Eddie Wineland, and Raulian Paiva among others.