Tim Welch shared some words with Sean O’Malley toward end of his fight with Merab Dvalishvili but meant something else, he said.

Sean O’Malley will be missing in action for a significant period. Defending his title for the first time against Marlon Vera, O’Malley put up a striking show of the highest order. He left ‘Chito’ bruised and battered to establish himself as one of the biggest threats in the division.