The all-important bantamweight clash for the title is heading our way as Sean O’Malley takes on Merab Dvalishvili for a second time at UFC 316. After setting the biggest gate record at UFC 306, partly because of the Las Vegas Sphere, they’d be looking to make it big once again this weekend at Newark, New Jersey. But ahead of the fight, UFC legend Chael Sonnen shared an interesting analysis of O’Malley vs Dvalishvili with a comparison between two former UFC legends.

Sean O’Malley is a big star, but Chael Sonnen claims Dana White brought in Merab Dvalishvili to find the next big star. He recalled how 4-time Super Bowl winner Joe Montana once suffered an injury during the NFC Championship game in 1990. He was replaced by Steve Young. And while people didn’t expect much from him, Young went on to make a big impact in the game, establishing himself as a starter in the future.

Similarly, Chael Sonnen saw Sean O’Malley as the “starter” before Merab Dvalishvili came in as the “new guy” to take over ‘Suga’s place. As such, ‘The American Gangster’ claims that UFC 316 is a situation where the former champion would aim to reclaim his throne, much like Joe Montana. On the other hand, he believes Dvalishvili is aiming to continue his role as a formidable threat and dominate the game. Sonnen even mentioned the 2001 World Championships when wrestling legend Cael Sanderson stepped down for Brandon Eggum to come in, as the latter went on to clinch the silver medal.

“I can bring you stories from the NFL where the starter goes down, where Joe Montana goes down, and they put in a new guy named Steve Young. Steve Young not only dominates the game; he goes on to be a Pro Bowler himself,” Chael Sonnen stated on his YouTube channel. “I can tell you wrestling stories where Cael Sanderson removed himself from a team that put alternate Brandon Eggum in the tournament, and Eggum beat everybody. He wasn’t stuck on it, he wasn’t dwelling, he wasn’t thinking about it constantly… He came with a lot of benefits.”

While the analogy seems to be a pretty relevant one, Sean O’Malley isn’t ready to just give up and let Merab Dvalishvili take his place. In fact, the former champion claims that he’s now at the peak of his powers as a fighter after turning 30 years old. Here’s what he had to say.

Sean O’Malley claims he’s now in his prime

Sean O’Malley has already won UFC gold once, but he doesn’t think he is done growing as a fighter, as per his recent statement. After losing the title last time out and taking his time to recover and evolve as a fighter, ‘Suga’ feels like he’s now entered his prime. With Chael Sonnen claiming that UFC 316 is a fight for the greatest bantamweight ever label, O’Malley claims that turning 30 has brought him to the peak of his powers.

“I’m 30 right now, and we haven’t gotten to see me in my prime. This might be the first fight in my prime, but I want to stick around as long as possible; longevity is on my mind every day,” Sean O’Malley stated during the UFC 316 media day. Furthermore, he also claimed in the recent episode of the UFC’s Embedded Vlog series that the rematch this weekend will be the first one in his prime.

Sean O’Malley is taking this fight very seriously. He not only made changes in his fighting game but also gave up some habits to make his lifestyle more suitable for his career. But do you think he has what it takes to beat ‘The Machine’ Merab Dvalishvili? Let us know in the comments down below.