Merab Dvalishvili Shocks Fans with Mid-Fight Kiss on Sean O’Malley During UFC 306 Main Event

Newly-crowned UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili made headlines at UFC 306 after an unexpected moment in his fight against Sean O’Malley. During a scramble in the second round, Dvalishvili kissed O’Malley’s back, a move that stunned both fans and commentators watching the main event unfold.

Dvalishvili secured the UFC bantamweight title with a decisive victory over O’Malley at UFC 306, held on Saturday in Las Vegas. The win capped off Dvalishvili’s long unbeaten streak in the Octagon and solidified his status as one of the top fighters in the division. Despite his dominant performance, it was his unexpected mid-fight kiss that captured the most attention.

The peculiar moment occurred at the end of the second round. With about 10 seconds left on the clock, Dvalishvili, while in control during a scramble, kissed O’Malley’s back multiple times. This strange act almost cost him as O’Malley narrowly missed landing a knockout blow right at the buzzer.

During the post-fight press conference, Dvalishvili shed light on the strange sequence. “So I grab his neck and he has 10 seconds left,” Dvalishvili explained. “I know he can wait and he’s not going to sleep or tap from this, and I wanted to make just a little fun of him. I don’t hate the guy, just wanted to make fun of him, but at the same time, give him a little kiss to show that I’m dominant. I control this fight, I break you. That’s why I was kissing him.”

Dvalishvili acknowledged that he got caught up in the moment, losing track of time. As he released O’Malley, the latter retaliated with a punch to the back of Dvalishvili’s head. “I said, ‘Referee, again, I’m sorry, referee. I’m sorry,” Dvalishvili added.

This isn’t the first time Dvalishvili has been involved in unusual in-fight moments. In a previous fight at UFC 298 against Henry Cejudo, Dvalishvili attempted to engage in a conversation with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who was sitting cageside, in the middle of the bout.

Looking ahead, Dvalishvili is expected to face undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov for his first title defense. Umar, a cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, recently defeated Cory Sandhagen, setting the stage for a highly anticipated matchup with Dvalishvili.

As Dvalishvili’s reign as bantamweight champion begins, fans can undoubtedly expect more surprises and unorthodox moments from the Georgian fighter. If his UFC 306 performance is any indication, Dvalishvili is ready to bring excitement and unpredictability to the bantamweight division.

Stay tuned for more updates on Dvalishvili’s upcoming fights and the latest UFC news.