Merab Dvalishvili’s coach has said the bantamweight champion’s team will warn the referee ahead of UFC 316, as they aim to combat a controversial tactic used by Sean O’Malley’s trainer.
When O’Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling to win the belt in 2023, the latter appeared to bite on a deceiving shout from “Sugar Sean”’s coach Tim Welch, who cried: “Aljo, you’ve got to go!” Sterling might have believed it was his own coach shouting, but in any case, he closed range and was knocked out by O’Malley.
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Welch tried the same tactic when his fighter defended the gold against Dvalishvili in September, but he was unsuccessful in two senses; Welch was warned by referee Herb Dean, and Dvalishvili cruised to a decision win to become champion.
At UFC 316 on 7 June, Dvalishvili looks to build upon January’s successful defence against Umar Nurmagomedov, as he puts his belt on the line against O’Malley in New Jersey. And ahead of that rematch, the champion’s head coach, John Wood, will make sure to speak to whichever referee is appointed.
Wood told MMA Fighting on Monday (19 May): “Of course we’ll have that talk, of course it will be brought up. And I think Tim will do it again, but feel free to talk to Merab all you want; it just gave him more motivation, so I’m good. Tell Merab what you want him to do, and he’ll go ahead and do it.
“It didn’t work, it’s not gonna work again. I’ve stated this before: whatever you think you’ve got to do to get your fighter up for the game, whatever you think you’ve got to do as a coach to try to take advantage, do it. As long as it’s within the [rules]. I actually think that’s a rule – you’re not supposed to do that – but I mean, the old saying [is]: ‘If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.’
Merab Dvalishvili (left) out-grappled striking specialist Sean O’Malley to become champion (Getty Images)
“I would never feel like I would have to talk to Sean or anybody else Merab’s fighting to get an advantage, so go ahead, and if it gets you more hits or clicks on your podcast or TikTok or whatever those guys do, then great for you. He got a lot of play off that.
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“I think Tim’s a good coach, I like Tim personally, I don’t take any offence to it. Do I think it’s stupid? Absolutely, but I guess maybe they think it worked for the Aljo fight, so: ‘It’s something we’re gonna keep on doing.’
“Go ahead. We’ll talk to the referees about it, but I don’t think it’s going to be a problem in any way, shape or form.”
Wood added: “There’s a lot of people that have had successful careers and cheated a lot. And I’m not saying that Tim’s cheating; it’s maybe bending the rules.”
Dvalishvili celebrates his title-defence victory over Umar Nurmagomedov (Getty Images)
American O’Malley, 30, has not fought since losing the bantamweight belt to Dvalishvili at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the latter’s defence against Nurmagomedov saw the Georgian, 34, mount a stunning comeback.
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On two of the judges’ scorecards, Dvalishvili came from two rounds down to win the final three against Nurmagomedov, while the third card also awarded the “Machine” the first frame. With that, Dvalishvili extended his win streak to a remarkable 12 fights, dating back to 2018.
When Dvalishvili and O’Malley clash again, it will be in one of two bantamweight title bouts at UFC 316; the co-main event sees Julianna Pena defend the women’s 135lb belt against Kayla Harrison – a former PFL champion and Olympic gold-medalist judoka.
