5 UFC bantamweights who could potentially dethrone Aljamain Sterling
This past weekend saw Aljamain Sterling produce a truly impressive performance to defend his UFC bantamweight gold against former titleholder Petr Yan.
After his win over Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling is undoubtedly the top bantamweight in the UFC, but he still doesn’t feel like a truly invincible champion.
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With the bantamweight division being one of the more loaded that the promotion has to offer right now, there are a number of fighters that an observer could argue might be able to take the title away from ‘Funk Master’.
With that in mind, here are five UFC bantamweights who could dethrone Sterling.
#5. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Aljamain Sterling
One fighter who may well stand a strong chance of dethroning Sterling is current No.6-ranked bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili.
‘The Machine’ has not fought since a stirring TKO victory over Marlon Moraes in September. Right now, he’s on a seven-fight win streak and looks like a surefire future title contender.
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What would make the native of Georgia so dangerous to Sterling is his powerful wrestling game. ‘Funk Master’ is an excellent wrestler in his own right, having competed as a two-time NCAA Division I All-American in his collegiate days, but could he fend off the takedowns of ‘The Machine’?
Given that Dvalishvili has delivered the most takedowns in the history of the UFC bantamweight division – 50 compared to Sterling’s 23 – it’s definitely a fair question to ask.
With ‘Funk Master’ seeming to struggle when he was grounded by Petr Yan, quite how well he’d operate off his back against someone like ‘The Machine’ is probably questionable too.
Admittedly, it's questionable that Dvalishvili would push for a bout with Sterling, as 'The Machine' has claimed he'd never be willing to meet his training partner in the octagon due to their friendship.
However, many such friendships have been broken over the years in the octagon and if both men keep winning, then a clash between the two with UFC gold on the line may become inevitable.
Right now, if these two fighters were to meet, Sterling would have to be given the edge based on his championship experience, submission skills and striking ability, but there’s no disputing that Dvalishvili might stand a decent chance of dethroning him.