UFC star warned by referee for kissing opponent during fight
The IndependentSign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Merab Dvalishvili won the UFC bantamweight title by beating Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision in Las Vegas on Saturday night, with the Georgian’s victory marked by some unusual incidents. Dvalishvili dominated a fight in which he grappled well to limit O’Malley’s striking, eventually winning 49–46, 48–47, and 48–47 according to the judges’ scorecards. But the fight was marked by a couple of strange incidents, with the Georgian making headlines after receiving a warning from veteran referee Herb Dean for kissing O’Malley’s head during the second round. Earlier on, the 33-year-old had entered a heated verbal exchange with O’Malley’s head coach, Tim Welch, while Welch had also received a warning from Dean over ‘excessive coaching’ and comments made to Dvalishvili.
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