Sean O’Malley’s coach clears the air on UFC 306 corner advice: “It sounded way worse than it actually was”

Tim Welch, Sean O’Malley’s coach, has responded to criticisms of his corner advice going into the final round of the UFC 306 main event.

It was clear that O’Malley needed a finish in the final round if he wanted to retain the bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili. Welch told his fighter that he was “almost done with this.” Fans gave Welch some flak for what they perceived to be a lack of urgency.

The MMA coach and former fighter recently clarified what his words to O’Malley actually meant.

RELATED: MATT SERRA GOES SCORCHED EARTH ON SEAN O’MALLEY’S COACH FOLLOWING UFC 306: “HE EXPOSED HIMSELF”

Tim Welch Explains Late Corner Advice to Sean O’Malley at UFC 306

In an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Tim Welch admitted that his cornering didn’t sound quite right to those who don’t understand how he communicates with Sean O’Malley (via MMAJunkie.com).

“It came out the wrong way. I meant to say ‘we’re almost done with this,’ like ‘you’re going to clip him at any time,’” Welch told ESPN. “But also, I’ve known Sean for 12 years. I know what’s going through his mind and keeping him confident. I always forget those cameras are rolling on my mic and stuff, I want to keep his head in it. It sounded way worse than it actually was. I just meant to say, ‘This fight is almost over. We’re almost done with this, you can clip him at any point.’ But it came out the wrong way and sounded stupid.”

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra put Welch on blast for the advice he was giving “Suga.” Serra went as far as to say Welch “exposed himself.”

It’ll be interesting to see how team O’Malley rebounds. For now, the former 135-pound ruler awaits surgery for a torn labrum suffered weeks prior to UFC 306.