Merab Dvalishvili’s Actions Toward Donald Trump Turn Heads After UFC 316 Win originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Merab Dvalishvili took down Sean O’Malley in their UFC 316 rematch, winning by submission in the third round on Saturday to retain the Bantamweight belt.
But it was Dvalishvili’s actions immediately after winning that captured some of the most attention.
Almost immediately after forcing O’Malley to submit, Dvalishvili jumped out of the Octagon and to the front row, where he greeted President Donald Trump with a handshake and shared a few words with the president. The actions captured some viral attention, with many sharing video of his quick run to share a moment with Trump.
O’Malley later left the Octagon to greet Trump, sharing a handshake before leaving.
Merab Dvalishvili taps Sean O’Malley and immediately runs over to celebrate with President Trump #UFC316
(🎥 @JoseYoungs) pic.twitter.com/uxxlYDDIDN
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 8, 2025
Trump has become a regular at UFC matches, often sitting in the front row and greeting fighters. His entrance at UFC 316 also captured some viral attention.
Big daddy Trump walks in at UFC 316 to Massive Applause in Newark NJ – Dvalishvili vs O’Malley 2@AmBrushfire you bet O’Malley, too? 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/YRqoQBgTE2
— Brutal American 👊 🇺🇸 (@BrutalAmerican) June 8, 2025
Dvalishvili had predicted before the fight that he would make easy work of O’Malley, saying he toyed with his opponent in their first meeting at UFC 306. Dvalishvili dominated that meeting as well.
“I do have extra motivation to finish this fight because the first fight I was going easy on him, but this time I’m looking for finish,” Dvalishvili told The Schmo. “I was laughing, I was showboating and stuff, and then I was kissing him. I’m not planning on kissing in this fight, I’m planning to finish him. If a kiss will come … I never plan this stuff, it’s just natural and depends how I’m going to feel. But I already kissed him, now it’s time to smash him.”
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.