The rivalry between Sean O’Malley and teammates Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili continues to ramp up.
O’Malley and Sterling have a long history culminating in O’Malley’s stoppage victory over “The Funk Master” to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 292. Now that rivalry has carried through to Sterling’s friend and teammate Dvalishvili, who challenges O’Malley for the belt in the main event of UFC 306.
As that fight draws near, tensions between the two camps resurfaced, boiling over earlier this week when O’Malley and Dvalishvili got into a heated exchange of words during the first promotional event for the fight. The dust-up centered around a previous argument between O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch and the fighters. Dvalishvili raised the issue once again on Tuesday, leading O’Malley to fire back.
Speaking with The MMA Hour on Wednesday, Sterling supported his teammate 100 percent, saying that Welch needs to stay out of things between the fighters.
“Merab just is who he is, and if something bothers him or something annoys him, he’s going to call you out on it,” Sterling said. “I think that’s all he was doing, was making it known how he felt. Like dude, your coach is your coach, your coach shouldn’t be getting involved in things like this and talking shit to the fighters. I commented that, and Tim Welch, for the second time, said he wasn’t talking shit, but there is evidence that we saw which is what got us annoyed.
“Like yo, are you the coach or are you the fighter? Because if you want to be the fighter and start talking shit the same way Henry Cejudo’s camp was going, you make things a little bit different when interactions are involved. So I just told him simply, yo, we don’t hate you or anything, but understand your place in the game. I’m not saying that to be disrespectful or this badass tough guy, but there are consequences for things that are being said.
“If you’re going to sit here and talk shit, when there’s a street beef or interaction that occurs, you’re now part of the mess. So you do your job, make sure these guys get to the fight, and don’t be the one instigating because you might be the one to get your face [punched].”
Welch is a former professional fighter who amassed a 14-6 record and is best known for competing on season 22 of The Ultimate Fighter, where he was eliminated in the entry round of the show. Despite not achieving the heights of Dvalishvili though, Welch was a lightweight during his professional career, prompting O’Malley to admonish Dvalishvili with “there are weight classes for a reason” during their altercation. But Sterling gives that no credence.
“I know O’Malley is sitting here, ‘I wish you would fight him, there’s weight classes for a reason,’ but if we want to speak facts, Tim Welch wishes he could do half of what Merab and I have accomplished,” Sterling said. “Wishes. So weight classes are not [all that matters]. There’s a skill difference between the three of us and I think he understands that. Whether it’s a street fight, cage fight, it doesn’t matter. I’m not even trying to take it there. Let’s just call it what it is. If you’re trying to sit there and say, ‘I wish you would see what will happen,’ OK. If your coach is really about that life, have him get froggy and leap. It’s that simple.
“We’re trying to be professional. We’re trying to get to the fight because that’s the only way we paid, but if they want to make it something else, we can make it something else.”
But while there’s an awful lot of drama now bubbling up, Sterling insists he doesn’t want that. All Sterling wants is for his friend get the same opportunity he gave to O’Malley a year ago. And if O’Malley and his team can keep things respectful come fight week, there shouldn’t be any problems.
“We’ll see how Merab is feeling, we’ll see what’s actually being said, if there’s ill will or animosity behind it,” Sterling said. “At the end of the day we’re all chasing the same dream. Merab is trying to become a UFC champion the same way I gave Sean O’Malley an opportunity. O’Malley tried to do all these things to avoid giving Merab, the rightful contender, an opportunity and decided to fight ‘Chito’ [Marlon Vera] instead. So there’s a lot of things that just rub us the wrong way as competitors, as someone who wants to be the best.
“When it comes to fight week, we show respect always. But when people try to disrespect us, just know we’re going to say something. I think that’s all it comes down to.
“I do hope they come into fight week and it’s respectful. If there’s anyone talking shit, it’s simply Merab and O’Malley. I’m not even going to be talking shit to O’Malley. I like the guy. I’ve always liked the guy. I think he’s a great talent and I just want to see a good, fair fight.”
UFC 306 takes place on Sep. 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
