“I will be waiting,” Merab Dvalishvili will continue to sacrifice title shot for Aljamain Sterling; vouches for friend’s rematch against Sean O’Malley

Merab Dvalishvili could fight for the title if he wanted to. However, he will wait it out until Aljamain Sterling leaves the division.

“I will be waiting,” Merab Dvalishvili will continue to sacrifice title shot for Aljamain Sterling; vouches for friend’s rematch against Sean O’Malley

Merab Dvalishvili will wait out on Bantamweight title fight untill O'Malley- Sterling rematch ( Image via Imago )

Merab Dvalishvili has answered Henry Cejudo‘s challenge. However, it is not looking good for the former champion. Dvalishvili stated that he was comfortable waiting it out. He maintained his financial independence and did not have to fight to pay the bills. Thus, he will wait it out until Aljamain Sterling gets his redemption against Sean O’Malley.

Merab Dvalishvili stated his status as the No. 1 contender after Aljamain Sterling. Merav believed Sterling should fight the rematch and settle his score against O’Malley. He maintained his disinterest in the Cejudo fight and will wait for the title fight. Merab had made it clear that he would not compete with Aljamain Sterling for any amount of money. Thus, he said, ” Yeah, I wanna wait for title fight and yeah, Aljo will do his business and go up the weight class and I will be waiting…”.

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Before UFC 292, Aljamain Sterling had stated that he planned to make the title defense his final one in the division regardless of the outcome. However, at the UFC 292 post-fight press conference, Sterling urged for an immediate rematch, stating that he felt he deserved it. However, Sean O’Malley dismissed the idea and shifted his focus to Marlon Vera.

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Cejudo returned to the UFC octagon in May against Aljamain Sterling. After losing the fight via split decision, he set his sights on Marlon “Chito” Vera. However, Vera withdrew from his scheduled bout at UFC 292 due to a shoulder injury. Cejudo has consistently called out Merab but he has never responded until now.

Related: “Add some hair on your balls” – Henry Cejudo takes dig at Merab Dvalishvili’s hair transplant to call out Georgian for fight

Henry Cejudo moves on to Sean O’Malley after Merab Dvalishvili refuses to fight

Henry Cejudo Sean O'Malley
Henry Cejudo fires at Sean O’Malley on X (Image Via Imago)

Following the cancellation of the Vera fight, Cejudo turned his attention to Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili is Aljamain Sterling‘s friend and one of the best in the bantamweight division. Cejudo hoped for an eventful showdown against Merab. However, it appears Dvalishvili remains uninterested unless there’s a championship on the line. In an interview with “The Schmo,” Dvalishvili clarified that he’d only agree to face Cejudo for the title.

Dvalishvili said, “I have so much respect for Henry Cejudo… I will fight you only for title. Other than this, I don’t wanna test myself because I’ve already been tested. I have a nine-fight win streak and I’ve been active. I fight anybody who they put in front of me.” After this, Cejudo seems to have shifted his focus to Sean O’Malley. Cejudo went on Twitter and attacked O’Malley for his lifestyle.

Dvalishvili was sidelined due to a hand injury. He recently witnessed his close friend Aljamain Sterling lose the bantamweight championship to Sean O’Malley. While many believe Dvalishvili deserves the next shot, there’s uncertainty about the UFC’s plans for this potential matchup.

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