Sean O’Malley was left in good spirits despite being the target of a playful prank by Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 288. The incident occurred during a tense faceoff between O’Malley and bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, after Sterling had successfully defended his title against Henry Cejudo.

O’Malley had entered the octagon wearing a Michael Jackson-inspired jacket which he removed during the faceoff, at which point Dvalishvili appeared on camera wearing the jacket with a mischievous grin on his face.

O’Malley spoke about the incident revealing that he had mistaken Dvalishvili for his “coat guy” and had even given him the jacket. Despite being taken off guard, O’Malley found the prank amusing and spoke positively about Dvalishvili, describing him as a funny character.