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“No, I wasn’t surprised because right now, Sean is the clear contender,” Dvalishvili told Stake. “Cory Sandhagen just won, [Petr] Yan maybe, but I already beat him. The UFC gave me this decision, and I think Sean will make some adjustments and this will be a really tough fight. I respect him a lot, but I am ready to do my job.”
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Dvalishvili will give O’Malley a rematch in the UFC 316 headliner on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. “The Machine” claimed the 135-pound belt with a clear-cut unanimous decision victory against “Suga” at UFC 306. While O’Malley has been sidelined since then, Dvalishvili made a successful title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January.
It took Dvalishvili, who has been victorious in 12 consecutive Octagon appearances, quite some time to finally reach the top of the division. He says life hasn’t changed much now that he is a UFC champion.
“I still live in the same house, I still have the same friends, still have the same good people around me,” he said. “I think that if I have changed, it’s only in good ways. I’ve become more humble. Now I have more opportunities to help people and motivate the young generation by giving them good advice and showing them a good example. I am grateful, so blessed and before I never dreamed of becoming champion because of where I come from. But now I have this respect, and a gold belt, but like I said, I am more humble and grateful for life.”
A new contender could emerge on Saturday, when ex-Bellator MMA champ Patrick “Patchy” Mix makes his Octagon debut against Mario Bautista on the UFC 316 main card. Mix has long been regarded as one of the top bantamweight talents in the world — regardless of promotion — and Dvalishvili already has some familiarity with the New York native.
“Patchy Mix is a very good fighter,” Dvalishvili said. “I train with him once in a while, and he’s one of the toughest sparring partners. We’ve talked before and I am happy for him that he’s in the UFC now, and if we have to fight in the future for the belt, it’s nothing personal. This is his family and my family, and we’re going to share the Octagon respectfully and shake hands after the fight and wish each other best.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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