Longtime jiu-jitsu coach Augusto Mendes is expressing strong confidence in Sean O’Malley as “Suga” prepares for his bantamweight title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316. Mendes believes a more “mature” and fully healthy O’Malley is poised to secure the victory this time around.
O’Malley previously suffered a decision loss to Dvalishvili in September 2024 at UFC 306, marking only the second defeat of his professional mixed martial arts career. Following that bout, O’Malley was vocal about the challenges he faced. Nine months later, Mendes highlights a “very long” and injury-free 12-week training camp as a significant advantage heading into the rematch.
According to Mendes, a hip injury severely hampered O’Malley`s guard game during the camp for UFC 306, and his primary motivation for taking that fight was the opportunity to headline the historic event at The Sphere in Las Vegas. Mendes also noted that O’Malley dealt with even more significant injuries before his title-winning knockout performance against Aljamain Sterling.
For the upcoming five-round championship contest, Mendes asserts that “Suga” is ready to deploy his complete arsenal. He points to significant personal growth and lifestyle changes contributing to O’Malley`s readiness, including increased maturity since turning 30, reducing social media use, quitting cannabis, and recently welcoming his first child.
“He’s more mature now,” Mendes stated. “He’s 30 now, and he’s enjoyed his 20s like all of us, right? I mean, he more than us because of his status [laughs]. But it’s his evolution as a person.”
Mendes elaborated on their perspective regarding the first encounter: “We think Merab didn’t see the best version of ‘Suga’… Merab thinks he knows what is like, but it wasn’t his best last time around. Maybe he’ll be surprised as soon as the fight starts and he sees different movement, different power, better jiu-jitsu. ‘Damn, it’s not like I thought it would be.’ We’re sure of that. ‘Suga’ knows that too. We’re very confident that Merab will see the best version of Sean now.”
Merab Dvalishvili enters the fight on an impressive win streak spanning over seven years. A victory at UFC 316 would place him among the fighters with the longest winning streaks in the company`s history. Despite Dvalishvili`s renowned toughness, Mendes maintains his assessment that Dvalishvili is “hittable” and is confident O’Malley will be the one to end his streak on Saturday.
“[O’Malley] can win in any area,” Mendes affirmed. “He’s well-prepared. He can win via decision if he has to. He’s ready for 25 minutes of war. He’s focused. Merab really is hittable. His approach to the fight was different than his other fights. For [Henry] Cejudo, even Umar [Nurmagomedov], he fought more like a striker. Against Sean he would punch the air from afar and then shoot when in range.”
Mendes expressed strong belief in a knockout victory for O’Malley but also hinted at strategic depth: “Maybe there are some surprises on the ground. We know Merab is not easy to tap, but we have some tricks up his sleeve if he gets to a good position.”
