With Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili just around the corner, the bantamweight champion’s coach has fired shots at the Georgian contender.
The pair of 135-pound icons will headline the historic UFC 306 card staged at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Tim Welch ramps up war-of-words ahead of Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili
On September 14, Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili will go head-to-head in an eagerly-anticipated bout to decide who the best bantamweight on the planet really is.
While the quality of the fight sells itself, the two athletes have done a great job of generating hype by engaging in verbal exchanges.
The title contest serves as the next chapter in the O’Malley vs Serra-Longo feud. The reigning 135-pound King took the title from Aljamain Sterling and will now look to add insult to injury by beating his training partner.
However, Dvalishvili is determined to get redemption for his friend, with his passion spilling over into rage at the media day. With tensions high, he challenged O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, to a street fight.
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Unsurprisingly, ‘Suga’s’ mentor has fired back, saying that he isn’t intimidated by what ‘The Machine’ is bringing to the table.
During a chat with Submission Radio, he said: “Initially, I thought it was because I said we’re going to target his nose in an interview, which isn’t a lie.”
He continued: “I mean, it’s not a lie. I’ve never really said fighting words to those guys. But then Merab tweeted out and said, ‘Next time I see you, I’m going to take care of it,’ or something.
“And it’s like, ‘come on, brother’. I haven’t trained martial arts my whole life for a little 5’4 guy to try to punk me out. I’ve trained my whole life, and I’m only 34 years old. I’m six foot, 195 pounds. It’s like, alright, well, we’ll see what happens.
“But that’s besides the point. This is a huge fight. We got the No. 1 contender vs the champion of the world. That fight is going to happen 100 percent. ‘Sugar Show’ vs Merab, and we’re preparing, and we’re more dialed in than we’ve ever been because Merab does pose a serious threat.”
Aljamain Sterling tells Tim Welch to stop trash-talking fighters
While Welch’s comments have undeniably added a hint of spice to an already fiery dish, Sterling isn’t a massive fan of his conduct, claiming that there could be ‘consequences’ for his comments.
‘Funk Master’ told The MMA Hour: “Merab just is who he is, and if something bothers him or something annoys him, he’s going to call you out on it.
“I think that’s all he was doing, was making it known how he felt. Like dude, your coach is your coach, your coach shouldn’t be getting involved in things like this and talking s**t to the fighters. I commented that, and Tim Welch, for the second time, said he wasn’t talking s**t, but there is evidence that we saw, which is what got us annoyed.”
He continued: “Like yo, are you the coach or are you the fighter? Because if you want to be the fighter and start talking s**t the same way Henry Cejudo’s camp was going, you make things a little bit different when interactions are involved.
“So I just told him, simply, ‘yo, we don’t hate you or anything, but understand your place in the game. I’m not saying that to be disrespectful or this badass tough guy, but there are consequences for things that are being said’.
“If you’re going to sit here and talk s**t, when there’s a street beef or interaction that occurs, you’re now part of the mess. So you do your job, make sure these guys get to the fight, and don’t be the one instigating because you might be the one to get your face [punched].”
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