LAS VEGAS – The trash talking between UFC 306 headliners Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili continued during the pre-event press conference.

During the lead-up to their bantamweight title fight, champion O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) and challenger Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) repeatedly exchanged heated words, but it never got to the point where they felt the need to get physical.

During Thursday’s press conference, which took place in the parking lot of Sphere, the venue for Saturday’s pay-per-view event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+), the headliners took turns taking the microphone and dishing out some serious, albeit somewhat playful, criticisms of each other.

A reporter asked O’Malley if he still wanted to win a boxing match against Gervonta Davis as another potential chapter in the one-sided MMA vs. boxing crossover history. The champ’s response led to a back-and-forth with Dvalishvili.

“Yeah, it depends on my performance,” O’Malley said. “I’ve got to go out there and knock this guy out with my hands. If I do that a couple more times, that fight is inevitable.”

Dvalishvili could not let this devastating comment pass unnoticed.

“Keep dreaming, keep dreaming,” Dvalishvili replied. “Nobody has knocked me out yet. Nobody. Keep dreaming, Sean O’Malley. You’re not knocking ‘Chito’ Vera out.”

Then O’Malley reminded Dvalishvili what happened when he challenged teammate Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title at UFC 292 last August.

“I knocked Aljo out, didn’t I? Didn’t I?” O’Malley joked.

“That was an early stop!” said Dvalishvili. “Come on, that was early. You’re lucky!”

O’Malley turned up the sarcasm for his final response in their verbal exchange. He gave Dvalishvili a piece of his mind, saying that his lucky results have continued to repeat themselves throughout his UFC career, which has seen him stop six opponents in 10 wins.

“That was a hell of a lot of luck,” O’Malley said. “I keep getting lucky, it’s crazy. Every fight I get lucky. Somehow I get lucky.”

O’Malley was only the second person to finish Sterling in the UFC. The result ended “The Funk Master’s” three-defense title reign and set O’Malley’s run alight. “Sugar” will be looking for his second defense at Noche UFC after a successful rematch against Marlon Vera at UFC 299.

“Okay, try it with me. Same,” said Dvalishvili, who had the last word in the exchange.

If O’Malley is right that a knockout will get “Tank” Davis’ attention and create a big crossover match, he’ll have to do something no one has ever done to Dvalishvili in the cage.

Dvalishvili, who is making his first title shot after defeating three former champions, has only been knocked out once in his career, a submission loss to Ricky Simon in 2018. The other three losses in his pro career have come by decision.

The Georgian remains confident that O’Malley will not be able to finish him off and is confident that he will leave the first live sporting event on Sphere as the new champion.

For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s UFC 306 event hub.