‘I hate to say’… Sean O’Malley on what it will take for Merab Dvalishvili to lose UFC belt

Sean O’Malley names the only way Merab Dvalishvili finally loses.

14 wins in a row. Merab Dvalishvili owns the second-longest active win streak in the UFC, tying the record for most title defenses in the bantamweight division with his third defense this year against Cory Sandhagen.

Dvalishvili nearly finished Sandhagen en route to an impressive unanimous decision win in the UFC 320 co-main event. ‘The Machine’ became the first fighter to reach 100 takedowns during the five-round fight.

Dvalishvili has now beaten the top four contenders in the bantamweight division, leaving many to wonder what it will take to dethrone the Georgian champion.

Sean O’Malley, a two-time rival of Dvalishvili, believes he knows the answer.

• READ MORE: Sean O’Malley mocks himself in reaction to Merab Dvalishvili’s UFC 320 win… ‘Trilogy at the White House?’

Sean O’Malley thinks he’s the only one who can ‘snipe’ Merab Dvalishvili in the striking

O’Malley found some success against Dvalishvili late into their first fight at UFC 306 last year.

O’Malley hurt Dvalishvili with kicks to the mid-section in the fifth round but Dvalishvili survived to win the decision.

Dvalishvili has been in trouble a few times in his career, like Marlon Moraes nearly finishing him in 2021 or Henry Cejudo cracking him with a massive shot in their 2024 fight.

Umar Nurmagomedov notably won the first two rounds against Dvalishvili before losing the last three.

O’Malley says the only way for Dvalishvili to lose is for somebody to catch him in the striking department.

“He’s very, very confident in his striking right now,” O’Malley said of Dvalishvili on his YouTube channel.

“He can be [confident] because either his opponent’s gonna back up, and like, nothing really happens, or they’re gonna stand and try to trade. He’s gonna crack them, fall into a single leg, fall into a double leg, or they’re gonna get cracked with the right hand.

“To beat Merab, you just have to land that shot,” Dvalishvili explained.

“You have to be able to f—— snipe him.

“And he was getting a little bit more reckless. The more confident he gets into striking, the more gaps it leaves open to be caught. That’s just the only [way]. I don’t see really anyone being [able to beat him].

“I do think I’m the only one… I hate to say it. I hate to f—— say it. I’m the only one that could beat him. Give me a shot at the White House,” O’Malley said.

“I gotta go out there and get some wins. I gotta get some wins. But, I don’t see anyone really beating Merab anytime soon.

“He needs to be clipped, needs to be knocked out and put to sleep to beat him. I just don’t really see anyone other than myself being able to do that.”

Merab Dvalishvili could break Anderson Silva’s win record

Only four fighters in UFC history have put together a 14-fight win streak.

Dvalishvili joins elite company with Islam Makhachev and Kamaru Usman, who both made it to 15 UFC wins in a row.

Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva still holds the record for the longest win streak in the UFC at 16.

At this rate, the 34-year-old Dvalishvili could shatter ‘The Spider’s’ greatest record with a few more title defenses.