UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling wants to give Merab Dvalishvili a shot at the belt.
Asked on Twitter about a potential matchup with his longtime teammate, Sterling indicated he would rather move up in weight than force a fight.
I will likely have to go up after Merab’s next victory, in order to give him the chance to become an international champion. We will figure it out. https://t.co/buDwgCSObs
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) May 31, 2022
“After Merab’s next win, I will probably have to move up, to allow him his chance that he earned, to make history for Georgia to win a world title,” Sterling wrote. We will find it .”
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Dvalishvili and Terling, respectively. 1 and No. 7 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings at 135 pounds, are unbooked for their next octagon outings. Sterling, the bantamweight champion, may be facing T.J. Dillashaw. However, he indicated an openness for other contestants such as Jose Aldo (featherweight). He is currently resting after defending the belt in a title rematch against Petr Yan at UFC 273.
Sterling, 32, has fought as high as 140 pounds in the octagon for a catchweight bout with ex-champ Renan Barao, but has only fought at featherweight on the regional circuit before his UFC career.
After a pair of stumbles in his first two outings, Dvalishvili has torn through the competition at 135 pounds, winning seven straight including a stoppage of one-time title challenger Marlon Moraes in his most recent outing.
Dvalishvili and Terling are good friends and training partners at Serra-Longo Fight Team.
Recent headlines focused on Sterling’s rebuttal to Michael Chandler’s comments regarding fighter pay.
