Augusto Mendes did a full camp to organize for Merab Dvalishvili again in April of 2018, however by no means had his night time within the cage with the Georgian. Six years later, he helps Sean O’Malley put together to defend his UFC bantamweight title in opposition to Dvalishvili this Saturday at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas.
Jiu-jitsu legend “Tanquinho” has labored as O’Malley’s jiu-jitsu coach for years in Arizona and sees Dvalishvili as mainly the identical fighter from 2018 — with a couple of slight adjustments over time.
“His palms are a bit higher now however he received’t change his essence, which is wrestling and quantity,” Mendes stated in an interview with MMA Preventing. “This man doesn’t cease and has countless cardio, walks ahead your complete time, however he’s hittable. [Henry] Cejudo rocked him. Marlon Moraes nearly knocked him out within the first spherical. He will get hit so much, however Sean hits totally different. If he eats a kind of palms others have landed, that may be the top of the struggle.”
Dvalishvili was coming off a split-decision loss to Frankie Saenz when he agreed to face Mendes, who aimed to bounce again from a call defeat to Aljamain Sterling. Ricky Simon changed the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace at UFC Atlantic Metropolis and controversially choked out Dvalishvili with a guillotine within the third spherical.
Dvalishvili hasn’t misplaced since, amassing 10 straight UFC victories in opposition to the likes of Marlon Moraes, John Dodson, Jose Aldo and Petr Yan, which led to a shot at gold after he scored a win over Cejudo this previous February.
“We’re treating this struggle as every other struggle,” Mendes stated of the UFC 306 most important occasion. “We’ve clearly educated plenty of wrestling and jiu-jitsu and his putting, so it’s no totally different. We all know Merab’s qualities and we all know it’s a superb problem. I’m fairly assured, truthfully. Sean will present what he can do to somebody of Merab’s caliber.
“Each time Sean fights individuals say he received’t win. It was the identical with [Aljamain Sterling]. ‘Aljo will kill him and blah, blah, blah.’ I personally thought Aljamain Sterling was a more durable struggle than Merab. I believe Merab has superior wrestling, however Aljamain has higher jiu-jitsu. My concern in that struggle was [Sterling] taking him down, and progressing on the bottom, and perhaps Sean making a mistake.
“That’s not the case with Merab. Merab is extra of a quantity fighter. He desires to take you down and simply keep there, hitting you and scoring factors, as an alternative of progressing with jiu-jitsu to go for a submission. That’s why I don’t fear that a lot [about his ground game] as I did with Aljamain.”
O’Malley knocked out Sterling to say UFC gold in August of 2023, then efficiently defended it this previous March with a dominant determination in opposition to Marlon Vera, a victory that additionally avenged O’Malley’s sole loss as an expert.
“Each time there’s a wrestler individuals assume it’s going to go there and take Sean down, however he has confirmed time and time once more that taking him down is not any simple activity,” Mendes stated. “And even when he’s taken down, he can do issues off his again. It’s a troublesome matchup, but it surely’s not an inconceivable one. This struggle may finish rapidly, he goes there and knocks him out quick. Cease some takedown makes an attempt and Merab will get pissed off. Stylistically, I assumed Aljo was more durable than Merab.”
Mendes stated he was approached by Abu Dhabi-based grappling promotion ADXC earlier this 12 months with a suggestion to grapple Dvalishvili within the U.A.E., but it surely didn’t come to fruition. He stated Dvalishvili turned it down, and understands his determination understanding he’s O’Malley’s jiu-jitsu coach, however stays open to the thought of dealing with him sooner or later.
ADXC has two playing cards deliberate for the remaining of the 12 months, an Oct. 25 present in Abu Dhabi, adopted by a Nov. 17 occasion in Brazil, and Mendes likes the November date.
“After I educated to struggle Merab [in the UFC], I assumed it was a wonderful struggle for me stylistically talking,” Mende stated. “Even when [Dvalishvili] took me down, there was a excessive probability I’d submit him on the bottom. If it’s a cool identify from the MMA world, I’d do it. I’d prefer to face Merab as a result of our struggle didn’t occur. I believe it could be a superb struggle and it could favor me. In jiu-jitsu, at this weight class, nobody has ever taken me down. I’ve fought and educated with many high-level grapplers, and I believe I might shock him.”
