Sean O’Malley’s Coach’s Bizarre Reason why He Lost to Merab Dvalishvili

On the 7th of June, in the main event of UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley will rematch each other for the UFC bantamweight title.

The Georgian, Dvalishvili, won the first fight via unanimous decision to take O’Malley’s bantamweight title with a dominant performance at UFC Noche back in September, which was one of the more unique events the promotion has ever held, as it took place at the $2.3 billion Sphere in Las Vegas.

The show at The Sphere cost Dana White and the UFC more than $20 million in production value alone as it attempted to tell the history of Mexican combat sports through the night with unique movie-like video packages between each fight. Though fans at the arena witnessed a one-of-a-kind event, in a recent interview with ESPN MMA, O’Malley’s coach claimed that the lighting at The Sphere had a negative impact on his performance.

Merab Dvalishvili & Sean O’Malley’s professional MMA records (as of 20/05/25)
	Merab Dvalishvili	Sean O’Malley
Fights	23	21
Wins	19	18
Losses	4	2
No contests	0	1

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Tim Welch Blames Sphere’s Lighting for Sean O’Malley’s Flat Performance Against Merab Dvalishvili

Welch believes the lighting had an effect on O’Malley’s shot accuracy

UFC Noche was a once-in-a-lifetime event that the UFC put on, and the spectacle was something that was appreciated and loved by MMA fans all around the world, however, it seems The Sphere wasn’t enjoyed or appreciated as much by Sean O’Malley and his team. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, O’Malley’s head coach, Tim Welch, was quizzed on his fighter’s flat performance at UFC Noche, and blamed The Sphere’s lighting for O’Malley’s inability to hit his opponent Merab Dvalishvili.

Welch said the following to ESPN MMA:

“There were tons and tons of shots that barely missed by inches that would’ve completely changed the fight, and I think a lot of it had to do with The Sphere and the lighting.”

To some, this may seem a silly excuse for O’Malley’s flat performance at UFC Noche, however, other fighters who competed at The Sphere also went public with some complaints about the lighting, particularly how bright it was compared to a regular arena, so it seemed to be an issue for other competitors as well as ‘Suga.’

There have been many combat sports athletes over the years who have come out with some bizarre and wacky excuses for poor performances and losses, however, no excuse comes close to being as expensive as Welch’s, as The Sphere cost a whopping $2.3 billion to build.