"Careful what you wish for buddy" - Behind-the-scenes footage of Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili’s face-off ahead of Noche UFC 306 released
Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili will headline a UFC card like no other when they clash at Noche UFC 306 on Sept. 14 for the bantamweight title. The pair will clash at The Sphere, an already-iconic arena that promises fans a viewing experience that has no comparison.
The pay-per-view card will be the first-ever sporting event held at the famous arena, and given the prestige of the upcoming fight card, there has been an enormous amout of media obligations for the fighters to fulfill.
With fight night now less than a week away, the UFC has released some behind-the-scenes footage of part of the media build-up for the bantamweight title fight. The footage included a face-off between O'Malley and Dvalishvili in front of The Sphere, which captured a brief but intense exchange of words between the pair.
'Sugar' said:
"Welcome to the big show... Be careful what you wish for buddy."
The Georgian clapped back, saying:
"I knock people out, trust me."
The champion replied:
"If you could pick though, which one would you want, left hand or right hand? I see exactly where I'm gonna land that punch. So many options."
Watch Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili's face-off below (23:45):
Sean O'Malley irked by focal point of promotion for his Noche UFC 306 clash with Merab Dvalishvili
Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili will headline the Noche UFC 306 card, scheduled to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Their clash will take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas, but the bantamweight champion recently expressed some irritation over the promotion of his upcoming fight.
Given the historic nature of the pay-per-view card, much of the promotional focus has centered around the venue and what the viewer experience will be like. But 'Sugar' would have preferred more of the focus to be on the actual fight card.
He was recently interviewed by Michael Bisping, where the 29-year-old expressed his frustration, saying:
"We've got The Sphere [card] coming up. [I'm] a little annoyed-ish about the promotion of The Sphere. The Sphere is the show, [but] I'm the one doing interviews, not The Sphere. Let's promote Sean vs. Merab, the Sugar Show. I'm the one fighting, let's go. But it is what it is. The Sphere is going to be legendary, it'll be epic. It'll be cool."
Watch Sean O'Malley's interview below (1:40):