Merab Dvalishvili says he can “slap” Sean O’Malley’s coach and “not get deported” ahead of UFC 306

UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili isn’t worried about jeopardizing his U.S. citizenship if he decides to attack Sean O’Malley’s head coach.

Dvalishvili and O’Malley square off in the UFC 306 main event this Saturday in Las Vegas. It’s been a long road to the UFC title for Dvalishvili, who earned the shot following a 10-fight winning streak.

While there isn’t personal hatred between O’Malley and Dvalishvili, there’s some bad blood between them ahead of UFC 306. The two sides have exchanged social media barbs for months, including O’Malley’s head coach Tim Welch.

Dvalishvili and his teammate, former champion Aljamain Sterling, threatened Welch after his taunting in the corner at UFC 292. When Dvalishvili and Welch inevitably come face-to-face this week, things could easily get physical.

Merab Dvalishvili remains keen on slapping coach Tim Welch

During his UFC 306 pre-fight media day, Dvalishvili gave an interesting answer when asked to explain his long journey to the world title.

“I became a full-time fighter, moved to [Las] Vegas, and everything came,” Dvalishvili said. “I fixed my immigration papers and I can [fly] to my country or whatever country I want. Now I’m a citizen, and now I can slap Sean O’Malley’s coach and no one will deport me from the U.S.”

As of this writing, O’Malley nor Welch have responded to Dvalishvili’s comments.

Dvalishvili earned the bantamweight title shot after wins over former UFC champions Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and José Aldo. He’s won 10 fights in a row; led by his elite grappling base.

O’Malley earned the bantamweight title by defeating Sterling at UFC 292 last year. He defended the belt against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March.

O’Malley and Dvalishvili will get the opportunity to come face-to-face at the UFC 306 pre-fight press conference on Thursday. If Dvalishvili and Welch cross paths, things could break into chaos.