Last week, UFC head honcho Dana White’s $20 million ambitious production, UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche in Vegas, became the center of attention in the combat sports world, not for its fight card, but for its venue, the architectural wonder known as ‘The Sphere.’ While critics labeled the card “boring,” newly crowned bantamweight king Merab Dvalishvili made sure to generate excitement in his way.

‘The Machine’ kissed his opponent, Sean O’Malley, in an act of disrespect, sparking a heated debate within the MMA community. Some fans find it amusing, while others called it a “cringe move,” a sentiment UFC’s middleweight contender Bo Nickal recently echoed in an interview.

Bo Nickal schooled Sean O’Malley over the kissing incident

Merab Dvalishvili, showcasing his remarkable wrestling skills on Saturday night, turned all predictions by fight analysts upside down. He proved the odds wrong in his five-round bout against Sean O’Malley, dominating every round and tossing O’Malley around the octagon. However, it was the unexpected kissing moment that drew even more attention from fans. As the second round was winding down, ‘The Machine’ sought a takedown against the cage when O’Malley moved forward, unexpectedly, Dvalishvili kissed O’Malley’s back.

The topic was recently discussed on Bo Nickal’s podcast, ‘Nickal and Dimes,’ when one of his co-hosts mentioned the headline fight at UFC 306, calling it a good bout, the three-time NCAA Division 1 national champion raised some skepticism. He stated, “Merab Dvalishvili made the best move ever, bro. He just kept kissing him on the back, five times!” The folkstyle wrestler further suggested what ‘Suga’ could have done to avenge the disrespect. He said, “O’Malley should have head-kicked him. Dude, could you imagine that?…he would have been immortalized.”

No doubt, Bo Nickal’s imaginary suggestion would have been a blast, but it’s just in his head for now. The event is already a bygone affair, but the infamous kissing moment has struck the minds of fans, including UFC head honcho Dana White, who was left puzzled when he witnessed Merab Dvalishvili’s moment with Sean O’Malley live and shared his thoughts on it in the post-fight interview.

Dana White on the “weird” Merab Dvalishvili move against Sean O’Malley

When Dana White invested over $20 million in the high-tech Sphere for UFC 306 to honor Mexican fighters during Mexican Independence Week, he never thought anything from the fight card could surpass that. However, he was wrong. Five kisses from Merab Dvalishvili to former champion Sean O’Malley before dethroning him from the bantamweight throne hooked everyone, showcasing a level of disrespect that fans found more entertaining than Khabib Nurmagomedov’s act of spitting on Conor McGregor after submitting him at UFC 229.

Even this left Dana White shocked, as he was aware of ‘The Machine’s’ funny demeanor but never expected something like that to happen. White acknowledged this, stating, “What happened was Merab and O’Malley’s corner were screaming at each other the whole beginning of the fight. Then Herb Dean stepped in and told them to knock it off. Then the kissing in the back and standing up and walking away before the bell? I have no idea, Merab does some s***. It was weird, but not shocking!”

What are your thoughts on Bo Nickal’s remark? Do you also believe that if Sean O’Malley had reacted to the kisses, it would have definitely changed the fate of the fight? Drop your opinion below.