Tag: Tim Welch

After UFC 308, Tim Welch still believes Sean O’Malley would give Ilia Topuria problems

Tim Welch’s opinion on Sean O’Malley being a tough stylistic matchup for Ilia Topuria hasn’t changed after UFC 308.

[autotag]Tim Welch[/autotag]’s opinion of [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] being a tough stylistic matchup for featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] hasn’t changed after UFC 308.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) capped off a banner 2024 by knocking out another divisional great in Max Holloway this past Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Prior to UFC 308, Welch said he sees “flat-footed” Topuria as a more favorable matchup for O’Malley than Holloway. O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has since lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, but Welch still thinks a fight with Topuria could happen someday.

“I don’t think it’s past,” Welch told Submission Radio. “I mean, you never know what’s going to happen in the UFC. It’s not impossible that Volkanovski goes out there and beats Ilia Topuria. I mean, that’s possible. So, you never know, and I do think stylistically, Sean could give Ilia problems. He really could, but Ilia Topuria is a very, very scary fight.

“That’s not a fight you go in there and be like, ‘Oh yeah, man, we’re going to go out,’ – it’s like, you make one mistake with Ilia Topuria, and you’re going to be lights out, looking up at the ceiling or whatever. But that’s a scary, scary fight. But I do believe that Sean, with his range and with his speed and with just his overall skill set, he could give Ilia problems. I do believe that.”

After losing his title to Dvalishvili, O’Malley underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his left hip – an injury he came into the fight with. Dvalishvili appears willing to grant O’Malley an immediate rematch, and if the pair do run things back, Welch is confident that “The Suga Show” would get the finish.

“A healthy Sean, I do believe we go out there and end up KO’ing Merab in between some sort of scramble or something,” Welch said. “On the in-betweens, I think Sean will be able to catch his chin and put him down.”

[lawrence-related id=2782639,2782569,2782559,2781364]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Herb Dean addresses handling of oddities in Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley at UFC 306

Veteran referee Herb Dean responds to critics of his refereeing in the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley title fight at UFC 306.

It’s rare for MMA referees to speak about their job performance or provide explanations about their actions in the cage. However, veteran referee [autotag]Herb Dean[/autotag] is one of the few.

Dean came under fire by people on social media and even UFC commentators Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier for several of his actions while officiating [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] bantamweight title fight – which headlined UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14.

It was a fight in which Dvalishvili defeated O’Malley but had several odd occurrences.

For starters, in the first few seconds, Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and O’Malley’s corner man, [autotag]Tim Welch[/autotag], were yelling at each other as the fight was going on. Dean stopped the action and ordered Welch to cut it out.

“I’m not here to be anyone’s parent or anything, and we want people’s personalities to be able to shine. That’s what makes our sport fun,” Dean told Helen Yee when asked about ordering Welch to stop addressing Dvalishvili. “We have some great personalities, but there is a rule that the seconds (cornermen) are not to interfere in the fight, and that includes trying to influence the referee. It specifies that, and you definitely can’t influence the other fighter or distract them. Your job is to coach the fighter, and my job is to do something about it.”

Although some took issue with Dean policing Welch’s trash-talking tactics, Dean said he was well within his right to act on it.

“It happens, and we do address it,” Dean explained. “It’s been happening as long as the sports have been here, you know what I mean. Even coaching the referee through the fighter, ‘OK, Herb is going to stand you up because all he wants to do is hold you, and he’s a boring, b*tch ass wrestler,’ and you know they try to coach me through coaching their fighter, and we know it. If it gets to be too much, we’ll say, ‘Hey, that’s a little excessive.’ It’s in the rules, and that’s what the rule is for.”

Not long after the bizarre trash-talking incident, another occurred.

At the end of Round 2, Dvalishvili had O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC)  in a front headlock against the cage and decided to kiss O’Malley’s back multiple times before letting him go and walking away in the final seconds. An upset O’Malley stood up and swung at a distracted Dvalishvili before the bell rang.

Dean also interfered but this time issued a warning to Dvalishvili.

“Yes, yes, and that falls under sportsmanlike conduct. It does.” Dean said regarding the kisses. “Abusive language and things like that you’re not supposed to do.”

Toward the end of the bout, Dean kept telling Dvalishvili to work as he was moving away from O’Malley, who was looking to land a big shot and not let the fight go to the judges’ scorecards.

Many took issue with Dean’s comments calling for action, especially Rogan, who voiced his disapproval on the broadcast.

“I’ve seen on social media people have spoken on me about calling the fighters to do more action, and that’s what I’ve always done,” Dean said. “I can tell you what I tell fighters in the rules briefing, I tell them anytime that I’m going to have an intervention, I’m going to talk to you first. If I’m going to stand you up, I’m going to say, ‘Let’s work,’ or I’ll clap.

“That means that what I’m expecting is not busy work, I’m looking for effort to finish the fight. So you either posture or you can potentially set up fight ending attacks or advance your position or effort to advance, or pass the position … That rule was put in, standing up, to make our sport look like we want it to look.”

[lawrence-related id=2773428,2772513,2772491,2772029]

Tim Welch clarifies Round 5 message to Sean O’Malley at UFC 306: ‘It came out the wrong way’

Tim Welch shared some words with Sean O’Malley toward end of his fight with Merab Dvalishvili but meant something else, he said.

Coach [autotag]Tim Welch[/autotag] has received plenty of criticism for how he handled [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s corner at UFC 306.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) lost his bantamweight title by unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in this past Saturday’s main event at Sphere in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili’s coach, UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra, thinks Welch showed no sense of urgency with his fighter being down big in the final five minutes of the fight. Welch addressed the backlash and clarified what he meant when he was heard telling O’Malley “we are almost done with this” in the fifth round.

“It came out the wrong way. I meant to say ‘we’re almost done with this,’ like ‘you’re going to clip him at any time,'” Welch told ESPN. “But also, I’ve known Sean for 12 years. I know what’s going through his mind and keeping him confident. I always forget those cameras are rolling on my mic and stuff. I want to keep his head in it. It sounded way worse than it actually was. I just meant to say, ‘This fight is almost over. We’re almost done with this, you can clip him at any point.’ But it came out the wrong way and sounded stupid.”

O’Malley is set to undergo surgery Oct. 3 to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, which he suffered 10 weeks prior to his fight with Dvalishvili. Welch expects a motivated O’Malley in his return and doesn’t think they’re short of big opportunities.

“It’s just a perfect time to practice what we preach all the time,” Welch said. “I’ve been around fighting a long time. I know eventually you’re probably going to lose. If you keep fighting the best people on planet Earth in your weight class, eventually you’re going to lose.

“I just think every fight for Sean is going to be a big fight. The build-up is going to be big, he’s just such a showman, and I think it’ll be similar to, like every fight Nate Diaz is in is a big fight. Every fight Jorge Masvidal is in is a big fight. So, I think it’ll be similar for Sean, and I think right now it’s really going to light a fire under him.”

[lawrence-related id=2772084,2772368,2772053,2769586]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Sean O’Malley’s coach highlights flaw in Merab Dvalishvili’s game that’s ‘too close to the fight now to fix’

Tim Welch’s film study revealed to a major hole in Merab Dvalishvili’s striking that Sean O’Malley could capitalize on at UFC 306.

[autotag]Tim Welch[/autotag] has broken down training footage of [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag].

Welch’s star pupil, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], defends his bantamweight title against Dvalishvili in the UFC 306 main event Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas. Welch sees a major hole in Dvalishvili’s striking, which he thinks O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) will capitalize on.

“(He) loses balance a little bit on the punches, falls forward, and that’s something that definitely could get him in trouble here, and it’s too close to the fight now to fix,” Welch said of Dvalishvili on his YouTube channel. “Really lunging in here, throwing the overhand right, bringing his back foot with him, which is another thing that could get you in trouble. You saw it with Aljo (Sterling).”

Welch did acknowledge Dvalishvili’s pace and intensity while training.

“Merab doesn’t even control his breath,” Welch said. “He doesn’t even think about controlling his breath. He’ll just breathe in, he’ll be mouth breathing the whole time, and he’ll be able to keep up the pace. That’s one thing that’s scary about him. He’ll be able to just keep up the pace the whole time. Just at that, frantic breathing, frantic pace, that’s one of the things that makes him really dangerous.”

That being said, Welch doesn’t see anyone Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) could train with that would give him a good gauge of O’Malley’s movement. Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, said the same thing about his fighter.

“I’m thankful that I’m not having to be a trainer training someone against ‘Sugar’ because it would just be so hard to find sparring partners that can do anything remotely close to him,” Welch said. “And then you find sparring partners that try to mimic him. They do their best at mimicking him.”

[lawrence-related id=2762296,2728111,2765506,2765517]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Merab Dvalishvili: Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch ‘was very disrespectful to me’

Merab Dvalishvili takes issue with Tim Welch’s comments ahead of his fight vs. Sean O’Malley.

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] takes issue with [autotag]Tim Welch[/autotag]’s comments ahead of his fight vs. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag].

Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) Sept. 14 in the UFC 306 main event at Sphere in Las Vegas. O’Malley’s head coach Welch has given Dvalishvili his flowers in terms of skillset, but predicted a first-round knockout for “The Suga Show.”

Dvalishvili is not happy with Welch’s words – including a video that recently surfaced where Welch impersonated Aljamain Sterling’s corner, urging him that he has to go in his title fight vs. O’Malley at UFC 292. Seconds later, Sterling lunged in and was knocked out by O’Malley.

“I have a problem with his coach, Tim,” Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. “He was very disrespectful to me and he was doing stupid and not respectful (things). Any real coach should never do that, whatever he was doing. Try do the same thing in basketball or let’s try to do the same thing in a football game. They will give you a disqualification. Only the UFC you can get out of this. Coach your guy, coach your fighter. Don’t be disrespectful to the opponent.

“What kind of people does this? Only a snake people does this. Even now he’s talking on his podcast, like making fun of my height, making fun of my nose, even now some fans send some stupid things. Nothing is real. He’s making up some stories about me which is not true. He deserves to smack his face. That’s what I told Sean O’Malley, ‘Hey Sean, tell your coach to shut his mouth,’ because I was so pissed when I saw all these videos, how he does stupid things, how he talks stupid. I told him to shut his mouth.”

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Welch warned Dvalishvili of the consequences if he decides to step up to him during fight week.

“Initially, I thought it was because I said we’re going to target his nose in an interview, which isn’t a lie,” Welch said. “I mean, it’s not a lie, and I’ve never really said fighting words to those guys. But then Merab tweeted out and said, ‘Next time I see you, I’m going to take care of it’ or something. And it’s like, come on brother, I haven’t trained martial arts my whole life for a little 5 foot 4 guy to try to punk me out. I’ve trained my whole life, and I’m only 34 years old. I’m 6 foot, 195 pounds. It’s like, alright, alright, we’ll see what happens. But that’s besides the point. This is a huge fight that we’ve got the No. 1 contender vs. the champion of the world.

“That fight is going to happen, 100 percent. ‘Sugar Show’ vs. Merab, and we’re preparing and we’re more dialed in than we’ve ever been because Merab does pose a serious, serious threat. … It’s probably not smart for Merab to do that fight week. Maybe after the fight. You’ve got the biggest fight of your life and you’ve got the opportunity to get a world championship. So fight week stepping into my face is probably not smart. You’ve got a fight ahead of you that you’re going to get paid for. So taking on me is not very smart, but we’ll what happens. If they think our team is going to cower down to their team like (Henry) Cejudo’s team did, then they’re going to be wrong.”

[lawrence-related id=2759212,2758177,2754721]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Tim Welch reveals his side of Sean O’Malley’s sparring session with Alexandre Pantoja

Naturally Tim Welch sides with Sean O’Malley’s version of events from a 2017 sparring session between future UFC champs.

[autotag]Tim Welch[/autotag] weighed in on a past sparring session between UFC champions [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag].

Bantamweight champ O’Malley and flyweight champ Pantoja have previously bickered about a sparring session that allegedly took place in 2017, with each claiming that they got the better of the other. O’Malley’s version is that he put Pantoja down in Round 1 of the session but eventually tired and got choked out in Round 3.

As Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) gears up for his second title defense against Steve Erceg (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 301 headliner, the topic was brought up again. Pantoja claimed he smashed O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who responded by reminding him that he stopped him in the first round.

O’Malley’s coach, Welch, chimed in, naturally siding with his fighter’s version of the story.

“Not really in fight camp at all,” Welch said on his YouTube channel. “Going to sparring maybe to get a few rounds and Henry (Cejudo’s) like, ‘Hey, you want to spar this guy?’ So Sean says, ‘Yeah, I’ll spar him.’ They spar one round, Sean comes out off the rip, puts him down. Puts him down in the first minute. Now mind you this is – I don’t even remember what year this is.

“I don’t even think Sean was a professional yet. He might have been a professional just breaking in. …Sean comes out there, bounces around, young buck. Boom, hits him with a liver shot, puts him down. Pantoja has to stop. He has to wave it off. He has to go over to Henry, kneel down, call it off. I mean, there’s a video – never released video, but he puts him down.”

UFC 301 (Pay-per-view/ESPN/ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

[lawrence-related id=2737374,2737331,2725657,2725514]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Tim Welch takes blame for Sean O’Malley’s leg injury in Marlon Vera loss, points to ankle wraps as reason

Coach Tim Welch takes responsibility for Sean O’Malley injuring his leg against Marlon Vera in his lone career loss.

[autotag]Tim Welch[/autotag] takes responsibility for [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] injuring his leg against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] in his lone-career loss.

O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) suffered a first-round TKO to Vera (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC) in August 2020, after “Chito” kicked his peroneal nerve and finished him moments later on the ground in Round 1.

O’Malley insisted the loss was a fluke, but Welch thinks it may not have just been a freak accident. Welch explains that O’Malley’s ankle wrap situation was likely the cause – and he takes the blame for it.

“I got to take a lot of the blame on this,” Welch said on his YouTube channel. “One of the UFC people wrapped his ankles, and a couple times – ‘Sugar’ usually never complains about anything. A couple times he said ‘This ankle wrap is too tight.’ He said it twice. After the second time, I had the guys cut a little bit on the top, cut a little bit on the ankle, and I thought for sure it would loosen up.

“We were done with our warmup, they said we were walking in five minutes, so we did feel a little rushed. Looking back, 100 percent, I should’ve said ‘Hey, take that wrap off, and let’s re-do it. The fight can wait, let’s re-do this wrap’ because if you’ve ever had your ankle wrapped too tight, the blood just can’t flow to it, and it feels like your foot is literally falling asleep. So imagine being in a fistfight and your foot is fully asleep.”

Bantamweight champion O’Malley runs things back with Vera for his first title defense in Saturday’s UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) main event at Kaseya Center in Miami.

[lawrence-related id=2721355,2721367,2719518,2709171]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.