"He was crying in front of boss" - Merab Dvalishvili mocks Sean O'Malley about viral jacket snatch incident ahead of "dream come true" fight
Merab Dvalishvili took a dig at Sean O'Malley about the jacket incident last year. Dvalishvili will face O'Malley for the bantamweight title in the main event of Noche UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at the Las Vegas Sphere.
In the run-up to their highly anticipated title showdown this month, Dvalishvili and O'Malley have not stopped targeting each other in interviews and on social media through hilarious sketches.
Dvalishvili has been calling out O'Malley ever since he secured his first UFC win against Terrion Ware at UFC Moscow Fight Night back in 2018. The Georgian fighter reignited their rivalry at UFC 288 when he took O'Malley's red jacket.
For context, the incident took place when Dvalishvili hilariously grabbed and wore O'Malley's red jacket when the reigning champion was involved in a heated confrontation with the then-champion Aljamain Sterling after 'Funk Master's' successful title defense against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288.
In a recent interview with ufc.com ahead of Noche UFC 306, Dvalishvili discussed fighting for the title at the historic Sphere, saying:
''This is a dream come true... I’ve wanted to fight him [O'Malley] since 2018. I was calling him out. Somehow this fight didn’t happen before, but this is the perfect time.''
The Georgian fighter revisited the jacket incident and mocked O'Malley, saying:
"I want to take his belt now. I already took his jacket... He give me jacket first, and then after he was crying. What kind of man he is. When you give somebody something, you should not cry and take back. Especially, he was crying in front of boss." [H/t: ufc.com]
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, O'Malley denied the reports that Dvalishvili had stolen his jacket. According to 'Sugar', he thought the 33-year-old was a jacket holder that the UFC had brought into the octagon.
Merab Dvalishvili expresses his admiration for Mexico
Soon after previewing his title fight against Sean O'Malley at Noche UFC 306, which will take place on Sept. 14, two days before Mexican Independence Day, Merab Dvalishvili has showered his love for Mexico and its people.
In the aforementioned interview, Dvalishvili, who visited Mexico to hone his boxing skills, said:
''I love the country of Mexico, and I love Mexican people because they are hard workers. They support each other, and I love it. They’re tough people, they’re warrior people, they support each other, and they are tight together. I feel like I am one of them. I’m a warrior, I like to support my friends, my people. We have a connection and I’m going to represent Mexico.''
'The Machine' previously took to X and shared a video of him dancing in a Mexican bar, writing:
''Having best time in Mexico with my favorite people''
Check out the post below: