Overview

• Merab Dvalishvili is set to defend his bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley on June 7 at Newark’s Prudential Center.
• The champion revealed a fractured pinky toe sustained in sparring but described it as minor and said it won’t affect his preparation.
• Dvalishvili has added Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson’s coach to his corner to further sharpen his grappling and conditioning.
• Sean O’Malley has acknowledged underestimating Dvalishvili in their UFC306 clash and is determined to reclaim the belt.
• Former champion Michael Bisping hailed Dvalishvili as one of the greatest bantamweights based on his record of dominant wins over top contenders.