Merab Dvalishvili wouldn’t mind fighting Tim Welch.
Dvalishvili Has It Out For Team O’Malley
The #1 UFC Bantamweight contender is up next for the title when he takes on defending champ Sean O’Malley in the main event of Noche UFC on Sep. 14 from The Sphere. While a championship win over O’Malley would be a dream come true for the streaking Dvalishvili, that’s not all the Georgian is dreaming about doing.
Dvalishvili has not forgotten his rivalry with O’Malley’s head coach Tim Welch, who had a slight or two to say about Dvalishvili’s nose with “The Machine” wanting Welch to pay for it.
Are you that mad I said your nose is big brother?
— Tim Welch (@TimwelchMT) May 8, 2024
Ahead of Noche UFC, Dvalishvili would face off with O’Malley in front of The Sphere where the two exchanged words. Dvalishvili pressed O’Malley regarding Welch’s comments, even asking for a street fight with his coach.
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Welch’s POV
Welch, a former MMA fighter himself with a pro record of 14-6, has addressed the ongoing heat between him and Dvalishvili, which could potentially boil over in a big way, come Noche UFC fight week.
“Initially, I thought it was because I said, we’re gonna target his nose in an interview, which isn’t a lie,” Welch said on Submission Radio of the comment he thinks he made to get Dvalishvili upset in the first place. “I mean, it’s not a lie. And I’ve never really said fighting words to those guys. But, then Merab tweeted out and said, next time I see you, I’m gonna 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 6’0″, 195 pounds. It’s like, alright. Alright, we’ll see what happens.”
Coach Welch hasn’t fought professionally since a submission loss in 2017, which snapped a four-fight win streak on the regional scene. During that time, Welch nearly made it onto season 22 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ but lost his exhibition fight to get into the house against (eventual UFC fighter) Jason Gonzales in 2015.
Welch On The Task At Hand
Welch may have the size advantage over Dvalishvili, but the 17-4 fighter is as elite as they come with his last three wins coming over former world champions…
“But, that’s besides the point… this is a huge fight,” Welch said of his problem with Dvalishvili, speaking now on O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili. “We’ve got the number one contender versus the champion of the world. That fight is gonna happen, 100%. Sugar Show versus Merab. And we’re preparing and we’re more dialed in than we’ve ever been because Merab does pose a serious, serious threat.”
