When Sean O'Malley credited Canelo Alvarez for inspiring his UFC 269 first-round knockout: "I’m going to take you out"

Sean O'Malley has not competed since UFC 299 in March when he defeated Marlon 'Chito' Vera via unanimous decision to pick up his first bantamweight title defense. While he will make his return to the octagon against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 this weekend, he will compete with Canelo Alvarez, who defends his WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight titles against Edgar Berlanga.

'Suga' once credited the boxing champion after defeating Raulian Paiva via first-round TKO at UFC 269 back in 2021. Speaking to Joe Rogan in his post-fight octagon interview, O'Malley stated:

"Yeah, honestly, I think he's one of the toughest guys I have fought, but when I land those big shots, I'm going to take you out and that's what happened."

After revealing that he nearly pulled out of the fight due to an injured rib that prevented him from grappling and sparring, O'Malley added:

"Yeah, you know, right before I came here, [coach] Tim [Welch] and I were watching a bunch of Canelo highlights and I just wanted to put him up against the cage and tee off like that."

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments on drawing inspiration from Canelo Alvarez below (starting at the 1:43 mark):

O'Malley's clash with Dvalishvili will take place at the Sphere, marking the UFC's first event held at the venue in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Alvarez and Berlanga will face one another at the T-Mobile Arena. The two events will both celebrate Mexican Independence Day and compete for pay-per-view buys.

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Sean O'Malley shares prediction for UFC 306 clash

Sean O'Malley will look to defend his bantamweight title for the second time when he faces Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 this weekend. He recently appeared on ESPN's 'First Take', sharing his prediction for the upcoming bout:

"I think it's going to be Sunday morning. It's going to be that beautiful that you're not going to be able to not talk about it. It's going to be a couple hours after. It's going to go, I believe - I'm getting these Boston vibes when I went out there and knocked out Aljamain Sterling. You know, a lot of similarities in my camp, you know, what my weights are, just weird little things."

O'Malley continued:

"I'm getting a lot of Boston - it's Aljamain's best friend, Merab. Aljo's going to be in the corner. I'm going to enjoy watching Aljo's reaction after I sleep Merab as well. So, I think it's going to be the 'Suga' show does it again. We have to stop doubting this kid. I'm an underdog again, which I enjoy."

Check out Sean O'Malley's prediction for his UFC 306 clash with Merab Dvalishvili below (starting at the 3:41 mark):

O'Malley captured the bantamweight title at UFC 292 in Boston by defeating Aljamain Sterling via second-round TKO. He will look to finish 'Funk Master's' close friend and training partner in a similar fashion this weekend.