Sean O'Malley has weighed in on the recent altercation involving his upcoming opponent, Merab Dvalishvili, and a fan at the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) grappling tournament. The bantamweight contender found himself in hot water after a video surfaced online showing him climbing over a barrier to confront a fan who allegedly heckled him.
The incident occurred during the first night of the CJI tournament in Las Vegas. Reports suggest the fan was taunting Dvalishvili with comments about his upcoming fight against O’Malley. The Georgian fighter, unable to contain his anger, responded by physically confronting the fan.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, O’Malley expressed his disbelief at Dvalishvili’s actions:
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"Merab looks and just can't handle it...True stoicism at its finest. That is stoicism...You can be sued for assaulting a civilian. You're not allowed to assault somebody. You can't just put your hands on somebody."
O'Malley went on to describe Dvalishvili’s actions as assault and warned that the fan could potentially sue the fighter. The UFC champion also urged his fans to stop provoking Dvalishvili, suggesting the Georgian is insecure:
"Attention, all 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley fans, will you guys, please from the bottom, please quit making fun of Merab. He can't handle it. He's insecure."
Check out O'Malley's comments on the matter in the video clip below:
Sean O'Malley confident UFC Noche will outshine Canelo Alvarez' boxing showdown on same night
Sean O'Malley is unfazed by the looming shadow of Canelo Alvarez's boxing match, scheduled on the same night as his title defense at UFC Noche. The two high-profile events are set to compete for viewership on the same date. 'Sugar' expressed excitement about the potential head-to-head battle for headlines.
During a recent podcast, the champion confidently predicted that his dominant performance against Merab Dvalishvili would eclipse the boxing match. O'Malley stated:
"When it comes to Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, who are they talking about? Are they talking about Canelo, or are they talking about the absolute dominating performance I put on?"
Check out O'Malley's comment below: