Images: Sam Navarro/Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Sean O'Malley's Coach Warns Merab Dvalishvili About Unknown Territory: 'He's Never Fought Anyone Like The Sugar Show!'

Originally posted on MMA News | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated 3/27/24

Coach Tim Welch expects UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O'Malley to give Merab Dvalishvili a completely new look inside the Octagon.

Following a crowning in Boston last August and a successful first defense in Miami this month, O'Malley appears to be looking ahead to his next assignment inside the UFC Octagon.

O'Malley enjoyed a dominant performance last time out at UFC 299, where he beat up Marlon "Chito" Vera en route to a lopsided unanimous decision victory on the scorecards.

In attendance, and waiting in the wings for his long-awaited first shot at title glory, was Merab Dvalishvili. And in spite of the champ's initial call out of Ilia Topuria, "The Machine" looks set to get his chance.

Given the Georgian's relentless wrestling game and immense cardio, which helped him convincingly outlast Henry Cejudo last month at UFC 298 in Anaheim, many have branded Dvalishvili a nightmare matchup for O'Malley.

But the bantamweight kingpin's coach has insisted that his man won't be the only one entering uncharted territory in the fight...

Welch Compares O'Malley To Dvalishvili's Past Opponents

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Welch broke down some footage of Dvalishvili from the victories that have contributed to his lengthy 10-fight winning run under the UFC banner.

The renowned trainer highlighted the heights of the Georgian's opponents, pointing out that O'Malley's frame and distance management will provide a fresh challenge for "The Machine" to contend with.

"Merab is a serious tank. 10-fight win streak, (but) it's against guys like this: John Dodson 5'2, Cody Stamann, 5'2, Marlon Moraes, 5'6, José Aldo, I think what, 5'5, 5'7? Petr Yan, 5'2, Henry Cejudo is a clean 5'0. So it's guys that are a little bit shorter than 'Sugar.'

"Sean's a solid 5'10, knows how to control distance, loves when people load up on punches, and Merab loads up. It's gonna be an interesting fight," Welch said. "We've never fought no one like Merab, obviously he's a machine and he's not gonna stop. But Merab's never fought no one like 'The Sugar Show,' who can put your lights out (with) one punch."

Welch will hope that those skills allow O'Malley to find the knockout blow and help to withstand Dvalishvili's attempts to initialize grappling exchanges when they share the Octagon later this year.