Merab Dvalishvili Explains More 'Open' Approach in Sean O’Malley Rematch

The first time Merab Dvalishvili faced Sean O’Malley, the primary goal was to walk away with bantamweight gold.

While he admittedly played it a little more safe in what was nonetheless a dominant unanimous decision triumph at UFC 306, “The Machine” decided to get a little more aggressive in their rematch. The end result was a third-round submission victory in the UFC 316 headliner on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“First time, I said, this one I was fighting for the belt. I wanted to win this. I know I was winning, and I don’t risk it too much,” Dvalishvili said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I wanted to just grab it one time. I just wanted to win one…