PHOENIX -- Sean O'Malley wonders what condition Merab Dvalishvili is in physically and mentally ahead of UFC 333. Dvalishvili plans to reclaim his title from Petr Yan in Abu Dhabi, but O'Malley isn't sold on that outcome. There was an air of inevitability heading into UFC 323 last December.
Dvalishvili was one fight away from becoming the first fighter to make four successful UFC title defenses in one year. All he had to do was beat a man he'd already dominated. Instead, Yan shocked everyone by clinically dismantling his rival.
O'Malley can't help but wonder where Dvalishvili's head is at after that loss and a more recent defeat to Henry Cejudo on the wrestling mats in Real American Freestyle. "Where is his confidence at? That's what I want to know," O'Malley told CBS Sports during an exclusive interview at Red Hawk Academy, the mixed martial arts gym owned by his coach, Tim Welch.
"Confidence is such a big thing. "He just got his ass kicked for the first time; I don't remember him getting his ass kicked like that. Then he gets pinned in 34 seconds.
I'm curious where his confidence is at. Skill-wise, he's great; he's excellent. But a lot of this game is mental." Check out the full exclusive interview with Sean O'Malley below.
There were two prevailing narratives coming out of that fight: how good Yan is when he's healthy and if Dvalishvili pushed his body too far. O'Malley sees truth in both assessments, but believes the rematch said more about Yan than it did his opponent. "Most people's favorite fighter is Petr Yan.
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