A career in the UFC will always have certain complications. Merab Dvalishvili is presently preparing for his UFC bantamweight title fight against Sean O’Malley this weekend. The Georgian star is currently on a 10-fight winning streak and has long awaited this moment. A major reason for the delay was his friend and training partner Aljamain Sterling reigned as the champion.
Sterling became the UFC champion back in 2021 and defended his title thrice before losing it to O’Malley last year. During this period, Dvalishvili was on the rise and stacked up impressive wins over some big names in the division. However, he didn’t want to fight Sterling in order to get his hands on the title. On top of that, the UFC never approached the Georgian fighter for that opportunity.
UFC never offered us to fight each other. Of course, I say I don’t want to fight Aljo but if the UFC really say, they send us a contract, hey Merab and Aljo, you guys have to fight each other, then maybe, that’s all I’m saying, we never say no, then they can blame it on us.
Merab Dvalishvili via Demetrious Johnson’s YouTube channel
Dana White was never a fan of this situation and has repeatedly criticized Merab Dvalishvili for not wanting to fight O’Malley. According to the CEO, in fight business, that kind of mentality is not welcomed. It put a dent in White’s relationship with Dvalishvili that even exists to this day. White’s concerns were over after Aljo lost the title to O’Malley and moved to the featherweight division.
😲Merab Dvalishvili reveals the UFC never offered him a title-shot against Aljamain Sterling and says he might have taken the fight if he had to:
“UFC never offered us to fight each other. Of course I say I don’t want to fight Aljo but if the UFC really say, they send us a… pic.twitter.com/14SshI3ElB
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) September 10, 2024
However, White was later criticized by fight fans for manipulating and forcing Sterling to fight O’Malley against his best interest. Dvalishvili also slammed UFC for not giving Sterling enough time to recover and pushing their favorite O’Malley. The Georgian fighter is ready to vent this frustration this Saturday and has vowed to take revenge for his friend.
When Merab Dvalishvili valued his friendship with Aljamain Sterling over UFC title
Merab Dvalishvili began his undefeated title run in 2018 and has beaten the likes of Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, etc. In his last fight at UFC UFC 298, he dominated the legendary Henry Cejudo and confirmed his title contention. Over the years, the ‘Machine’ has given some great performances and had the opportunity to beat Aljamain Sterling.
Merab Dvalishvili didn’t call out his friend Aljamain Sterling for a fight (via ImagoX)Sterling and Dvalishvili train with the Serra-Longo Fight Team, which Matt Serra and Ray Longo coach. Both fighters shared a great connection and didn’t want the UFC battle to ruin it. In his octagon interview after beating Yan, Dvalishvili shed light on the situation.
Aljo was telling me now, ‘Call the belt.’ Hey man, he’s my brother and he’s a real champion. Only me and him knows who’s real champion… But whenever he decides [to] go up in weight class… then after, I will fight [for the] title. Of course, I want to be champion and now I prove again… and I’m hungry.
Merab Dvalishvili via UFC Fight Night 221 octagon interview
While both Dvalishvili and Sterling are so proud of their bromance, champion Sean O’Malley doesn’t seem to buy it. ‘Suga’ alleged that Dvalishvili was rather happy about him knocking out Aljo. By doing so, O’Malley opened the path for the Georgian to chase the championship. Dvalishvili will have his chance for revenge at UFC 306 and only time will reveal if Georgia gets another UFC champion.
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