Sean O’Malley is putting a lot on the line with his bantamweight title defense against Merab Dvalishvili later tonight (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024) at UFC 306 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, but so is his long-time head coach, Tim Welch.
Tonight’s UFC debut from inside The Sphere has been one of the most talked about events of 2024 and has been pegged by UFC CEO, Dana White, as the greatest live combat event of all time. That puts a lot of pressure on the fighters — especially the two men headlining the card — but it also puts the spotlight on their coaches and teams. This includes Welch, who is quickly becoming one of the most successful coaches in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Obviously, Welch’s star pupil is O’Malley, who will be looking to defend his UFC bantamweight title for the second-straight time. It’s a massive spot for “Suga” as he tries to prove he’s the biggest star in the sport today, but the 29-year-old champion has lived up to his billing almost every step of the way. The only problem for O’Malley this weekend is that he’s facing a contender in Dvalishvili who has won 10 in a row and has looked completely dominant for the past six years.
While there’s been ample amount of trash talk and pre-fight antics between O’Malley and Merab, Welch has also joined in on the fun. After it was revealed that he tried spoiling Aljamain Sterling’s corner work during his title fight loss to O’Malley back at UFC 292 things began to heat up. Dvalishvili is one of Sterling’s closest friends and didn’t appreciate Welch’s remarks, even threatening to slap the head coach when they saw each other in Vegas.
On Friday, all parties joined on stage for UFC 306’s ceremonial weigh ins (watch HERE). Luckily, there were no slaps exchanged, but Welch took one final shot at Merab as he came face-to-face with O’Malley. Check it out below:
| Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch heckles Merab Dvalishvili during final ceremonial weigh-in face off ahead of their bantamweight championship bout at #NocheUFC. ? #UFC306
“Look at that nose!(x2) Tiny little f*cker! Jesus Christ, it’s a beak!”#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/EWdMSVuQHo
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) September 14, 2024
“Look at that nose! Look at that nose! Tiny little f—ker! Jesus Christ, it’s a beak!”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 306 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 306 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 306 fight card and PPV lineup click here.