Fight-by-fight preview | UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili

Colorful champion Sean O'Malley will face rising top contender Merab Dvalishvili in the finale of UFC 306 on Saturday in a highly anticipated fight for the UFC bantamweight title.

After securing the title via a second-round stoppage win over Aljamain Sterling last August, O'Malley avenged the only loss of his career in his first successful title defense, dismantling Marlon “Chito” Vera in five rounds to improve his record to 18-1 with a single no contest in his career. The 29-year-old is one of the most talented strikers in the UFC today, combining incredible speed and fundamentals with a keen sense of timing, exceptional footwork and uncanny finishing skills.

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It's crazy that Dvalishvili started his UFC career with back-to-back losses followed by tough fights with the likes of Terrion Ware and Brad Katona, because in the last three years he has extended his winning streak to 10 by putting up dominant performances against Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. “The Machine” is an absolute menace in the areas of grappling and conditioning, which he uses to wear out and break his opponents while showing continuous improvements in the striking area each time.

These two have been circling each other since O'Malley's fight against Sterling, who remains one of Dvalishvili's closest friends and training partners. While there is personal tension and a budding rivalry between them, this is also a heady clash of styles where one can imagine a clear path to victory for each, but also imagine a scenario where this becomes a breathtaking battle of wills.

Regardless of the outcome, Saturday's main event will be a milestone in the division and set the tone for how things will play out in the ultra-competitive 135-pound class going forward.

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