Matt Serra Slams O’Malley’s Corner After UFC 306 Loss
Matt Serra criticized Tim Welch’s corner work after Sean O’Malley lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306.
Serra’s criticism
On the UFC Unfiltered podcast, Serra argued that Welch should have been more direct as O’Malley fell behind on the scorecards. MMA Junkie reported Serra’s criticism, including his view that Welch did not push O’Malley enough during the fight.
Welch later addressed his fifth-round line that the fighters were “almost done.” He said he intended it as encouragement but acknowledged that the phrasing came out poorly in the moment. MMA Junkie’s follow-up includes Welch’s explanation.
The fight and rematch
Dvalishvili won the UFC 306 main event by unanimous decision, taking O’Malley’s bantamweight title. The official scorecards show the judges’ results. They met again at UFC 316 in June 2025, where Dvalishvili submitted O’Malley in the third round.
Serra’s comments reflected his assessment of the corner exchange. The fight outcome is official; whether Welch’s instructions were effective remains a matter of coaching judgment.
Serra was evaluating the corner’s advice, while Welch later explained what he meant by the fifth-round comment. Those are separate perspectives around the same fight. The official result was Dvalishvili’s unanimous decision in 2024 and a submission in the rematch; judgments about corner communication remain opinion rather than an official finding.
