“This is not the place for you,” Dana White goes off on Merab Dvalishvili valuing friendship with Aljamain Sterling over title fight
UFC president displayed his frustration of fighters from the same training camp not willing to fight each other.
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Dana White and Merab Dvalishvili(Image courtesy : IMAGO)
Former bantamweight champion Aljamian Sterling and fellow bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili share a great bond of friendship. Both fighters are teammates and remain truthfully in each other’s corner. However, UFC president Dana White expressed disappointment in their friendship, which complicated the bantamweight division.
Some recent statements from Merab indicated his disinterest in competing for the title next with regard to helping out Sterling for his rematch. White publicly spoke about the situation in an interview. He said, “Why did you even get into this sport if that’s your mentality and the way you think? If you don’t want to find out who the best in the world is, This is not the place for you. You should be somewhere else.” These statements from Dana White shocked some of the MMA community.
Merab Dvalishvili fell in rankings after his teammate’s loss against “Suga” Sean O’Malley at UFC 292. The Georgian national was in contention for the challenger position against the new bantamweight champion. But, his friendship with Sterling made him give up his chance for glory. Further, Merab never challenged for the title in the past years when Sterling held the belt. The Georgian expressed interest in being on his friend’s side rather than leading his own conquest.
A spot for the challenger is a worthy one, which many would take in seconds. But this complication has definitely created issues for the UFC boss. However, Merab might need to wait a bit longer for his title shot.
Aljamain Sterling shares his thoughts on Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley
With many opponents lining up for a title shot against the new bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, Merab Dvalishvili stands out due to his winning streak. Further, the fighter has already expressed his wishes to pass the opportunity to his friend Aljamain Sterling. But Sterling, in a recent interview, said that he wanted Merab to challenge for the bantamweight title.
Sterling spoke about the matchup and revealed a way for Merab to win against O’Malley. “Suga” enjoys a great reach and is one of the key factors in his fighting style. Directing towards this, Sterling pointed out that patience could help any fighter get past O’Malley’s tactics. He also said that if Dvalishvili could stay disciplined for 25 minutes, the Georgian native would emerge victorious.
The fight between Merab and O’Malley could be an entertaining matchup. Although the UFC has not confirmed the challenger for O’Malley’s first title defense, Merab remains the most deserving one on the roster.
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Nidhin Shibu
(2536 Articles Published)