It may have been a joke and it may have been serious, but Merab Dvalishvili chose to believe the latter when Petr Yan said he would “kill” Aljamain Sterling and his team on site at UFC 273.
Dvalishvili is respectful of Yan, the family man and competitor. But the former champ’s behavior toward Sterling in the buildup to their grudge rematch made it all the more satisfying when Sterling emerged victorious in March.
“First, I never liked Petr Yan, because he was disrespectful to Aljo,” Dvalishvili said on The MMA Hour. He’s an excellent fighter, as we all know. As a fighter, I respect him. As a family man, he has kids and a wife, and I respect that. But otherwise, I don’t like him. That’s my personal opinion.”
Sterling reacted to Yan’s remarks by offering his hotel room at the UFC venue. It turned out that the UFC event ended up bringing together both camps. Dvalishvili was a rising bantamweight with seven consecutive wins.
“In Jacksonville, [Fla.], we did see him at the hotel, but even though I was mad at him, I tell him, ‘You should focus on fight. Dvalishvili replied, “You have a fight tomorrow.” “[I said], “I want to fight tomorrow,” Dvalishvili said.
Dvalishvili thinks Yan was directly speaking to him because Yan has never been silent about his Russian rival.
“I know he was mentioning me; he doesn’t have any problem with Al Iaquinta or Ray Longo,” the 31-year-old Georgia native said. He was talking about me because I tell them the truth, even when Russian media ask me questions. I’m always tell them the truth … I’m trying to talk from my heart.”
In the end, Sterling took home a split decision after becoming the first UFC fighter to win a belt via disqualification when Yan illegally kneed him at UFC 259. Dvalishvili decided he didn’t need to have a conversation with Yan afterward.
“When Aljo took the first three rounds and then lost the second two, I told him, “It’s okay, we win,”” Dvalishvili stated. Enjoy your time with family. Don’t come back. Stay in Russia .'”
Sterling ought to have had a chance at the belt before Henry Cejudo retired. According to Dvalishvili, The belt still ended up at the right waist.
Sterling said recently that he would like to defend his belt once more and then to move up to featherweight in order to give his old teammate the opportunity to win it. That’s one reason why Dvalishvili is eternally loyal to Sterling – and why he’ll fight anyone on the champ’s behalf.
“I am blessed. I have friends like him,” Dvalishvili stated about Sterling’s possible gesture. What else could I possibly say other than this? It already says everything. He is a friend. He’s the best. I learn so much from him, and I’m still learning every day. His example is the reason why I fight wherever I fight. We’ll never fight each other. The title doesn’t matter to me. I don’t even think about the title yet. As long as Aljo is the champion, he will be champion as long as he wants to be the champion.”
This website uses cookies.