MMA
Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili get into heated altercation during first face-off
Watch O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili on ESPN+ (US)
The bantamweight title will be on the line when the UFC hosts a fight card at the iconic Las Vegas Sphere in September. The once-in-a-lifetime event is headlined by UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley and the No. 1 ranked bantamweight, Merab Dvalishvili. Trouble between the two has been brewing for several years but reached new heights when O'Malley defeated Aljamain Sterling to win the bantamweight title last year. Dvalishvili and Sterling are best friends and famously refused to fight each other for the title while Sterling held it.
When the pair faced off for the promotional video announcement of the fight things got heated and security even had to step in. The UFC has now released that footage.
The anger in their face-off appeared to set from O'Malley's coach, Tim Welch.
“If you have a problem with him, you can take it up with him,” O’Malley said. “He’ll fight you, if that’s what you want. … You want to die? That’s what you’re saying? He’ll kill you.”
The pair will meet on Sept. 14 at the card hosted by Rhiyad Season and the UFC for the Noche UFC 306 event celebrating Mexican Independence Day weekend. It will be the first and only event held in the new Las Vegas venue renowned for its large screens and visual effects.
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