Why did Herb Dean give Merab Dvalishvili a warning mid-fight? Watch wild Noche UFC moment involving Sean O'Malley's coach Tim Welch

Merab Dvalishvili faced longtime rival 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley in the headlining match of UFC 306 (aka Riyadh Season Noche UFC) on Sept. 14, 2024. The bout's referee Herb Dean notably handed Dvalishvili a stern warning in round one.

Moments after the fight began, Dvalishvili drew attention to someone outside the octagon, repeatedly pointing to the person(s) whilst simultaneously fending off O'Malley's attacks. Dean swiftly intervened, paused the match, and admonished Dvalishvili for his seemingly risky actions.

The veteran referee instructed Merab Dvalishvili to "not talk to him." It's believed that Dean was referring to Sean O'Malley's cornerman and head coach Tim Welch. Welch, who's also an MMA fighter, has long been at loggerheads with Dvalishvili.

Watch the wild moment below:

Additionally, Tim Welch cornered Sean O'Malley for the latter's title-winning performance against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 (Aug. 2023). A 'UFC Muted' video clip made waves earlier this year, in which Welch appeared to mimic Sterling's corner, seemingly causing 'Funk Master' to enter striking range and get TKO'd by O'Malley.

Incidentally, Merab Dvalishvili is Sterling's longtime friend, training partner, and cornerman. During the UFC 306 post-fight press conference, Dvalishvili was asked about the incident in round one of his fight against O'Malley.

'The Machine' responded by suggesting that Welch was attempting to utilize the same tactic he'd used against Sterling, i.e., mimicking the opponent's corner to confuse them and benefit O'Malley. Dvalishvili explained:

"Yeah. I was in, and I'm fighting. I'm a professional fighter. I'm focused. It never happened to me. I never pay attention to other corner. But, of course, [O'Malley's] team's voice, it was very familiar because he was doing same thing to 'Aljo.' There is the clip, video on social media. Everybody will saw that. And he was doing same thing. Like, he was doing very disrespectful way, 'Merab, you gotta go.' He was talking sh** on me, and I tell him, 'Stop it.'"

"And nobody was telling him to stop. He was just keep doing this. And if you do same thing in basketball or soccer, they will do disqualification for you. But, I guess here not. And that's why I was -- but I tell referee I'm sorry. Referee once tell me that's my job. And I said I'm sorry. And after, I guess he stopped it because -- I still heard like something, but I don't tell. I don't care."

Watch Merab Dvalishvili's assessment below (1:38):

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Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling on Sean O'Malley's coach Tim Welch's cornerman tactic

The Aljamain Sterling-Sean O'Malley fight at UFC 292 witnessed Tim Welch yelling the phrase, "'Aljo,' you gotta go!" Fans pointed out that Sterling's second-round TKO defeat was precipitated by Welch's aforementioned shrewd cornering tactic.

Nevertheless, addressing the 'UFC Muted' video of the sequence, Sterling subsequently tweeted that Welch's comments didn't affect his in-fight decisions.

Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili consistently indicated that Aljamain Sterling, who's since moved up to featherweight, is a better fighter than Sean O'Malley. Back in May, the Georgian-American vowed that he'll "smash" O'Malley inside the octagon and Tim Welch outside.

Dvalishvili ultimately dethroned O'Malley via unanimous decision to become the new UFC bantamweight champion at UFC 306. Furthermore, the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, who was in attendance at the Sphere, is likely to fight the newly-crowned Dvalishvili for the title next.