People like Aljamain Sterling already do not like bantamweight champion Sean OโMalleyโs head coach Tim Welch. Add Merab Dvalishvili to the list. The bantamweight title challenger has said he would smack Welch in the face after fighting OโMalley at UFC 306. Here is what happened:
Merab Dvalishvili recently sat down for a conversation with Damon Martin from MMA Fighting. During the interview, Dvalishvili expressed significant animosity towards Tim Welch even threatening to โsmackโ Welch because of all the disrespect.
Iโm not going to talk to Tim because he donโt deserve to have a conversation… deserves only a smack in his face. He already talks too much, he already disrespected me, he already disrespected my team, he already disrespected MMA… He deserves to get smacked.
Merab Dvalishvili on MMA Fighting
Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling also had problems with Tim Welch. Welch was cornering OโMalley during his fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. The MMA coach was audibly caught pretending to be part of Sterlingโs corner. Welch told Sterling โYou gotta go!โ just before OโMalley knocked him out.ย
Sean OโMalley and Merab Dvalishvili are set to face off in the main event of UFC 306 this September at the Sphere in Las Vegas. This fight will see OโMalley defending his UFC bantamweight title for the second time after he claimed the belt with a TKO victory over Aljamain Sterling. The co-main event of UFC 306 will feature a flyweight title bout between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko.
What did Tim Welch do to Merab Dvalishvili?ย
The tension began when Tim Welch allegedly disrespected Merab Dvalishvili during a UFC photoshoot. The MMA coach allegedly made derogatory comments about the Georgianโs height and appearance. Dvalishvili has accused Welch of spreading false stories about him, calling Welch a โsnakeโ and warning OโMalley to keep his coach in check.
Tim Welch made a remark during an episode of the โTimboSugarShowโ podcast. Welch jokingly claimed that Merab Dvalishvili shares custody of a cat with his ex-girlfriend. It was intended as a humorous jab rather than a serious statement.
I got a message from some guy on Instagram and it says, โHey I have some dirt on Merabโโฆ he gave it to me. I said letโs hear it. He said, โHe has split custody of a cat with his ex-stripper girlfriend. Picks up the cat 10 minutes before I pulled up there.
Tim Welch on the TimboSugarShow
Dvalishvili did not take the joke well. He felt that it crossed a personal boundary, leading to added tension between him and Welch. The comment added fuel to the ongoing rivalry between Dvalishviliโs camp and OโMalleyโs team.
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