Aljamain Sterling hits out at fan for mocking friend Merab Dvalishvili's wrestling-heavy performance at Noche UFC 306
Aljamain Sterling has defended Merab Dvalishvili's performance against Sean O'Malley at Noche UFC 306, elling fans to watch a different promotion if they don't enjoy his fighting style.
'The Machine' proved his doubters wrong this past weekend when he faced O'Malley in the main event at the Las Vegas Sphere. Many, including 'Suga', believed that his height and reach advantage would pose a problem for the Georgian fighter. However, Dvalishvili didn't get that memo as he dominated the fight, taking O'Malley down at will to clinch the bantamweight title via unanimous decision.
Following the fight, a section of fans soon voiced their criticism on social media about Dvalishvili's wrestle-heavy approach, finding issue with the fact he rarely looked like he was trying to finish his opponent.
X account Casual MMA tweeted:
"No real MMA fan enjoyed O’Malley vs. Merab or Belal vs. Leon. The only people backing them are biased because of religion or where they’re from. Crotch sniffing is ruining the sport."
'Funk Master' responded to the post to defend Merab Dvalishvili, who he is close friends with. Sterling fired back by stating that if fans don't enjoy watching wrestlers in the octagon, there are plenty of other promotions to watch instead:
"Go watch Glory kickboxing, boxing, Sambo or Muay Thai man. 'Hey guys, I know it's MMA but please only do the stand up parts of it!'"
Aljamain Sterling responds to Sean O'Malley's claim that he's not actually friends with Merab Dvalishvili
Prior to Noche UFC 306, Sean O'Malley claimed that Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili weren't actually friends, despite the pair having trained together for years at the Serra-Longo Fight Team in New York.
During Sterling's run as the 135-pound champ, 'The Machine' was making his way up the rankings and even found himself as the No.1 contender while Sterling was the champ. This famously lead to Dvalishvili openly refusing to fight for the title as his friend was the champ.
'Suga' was then handed his shot against Sterling instead, ultimately winning the belt and then fighting the Georgian this past weekend.
Before the pair faced off in the octagon at the Las Vegas Sphere, Sterling responded to O'Malley's claims about his friendship with Dvalishvili whilst speaking to Helen Yee. He said:
"I think it's simply the art of war. He's looking for things to try and tug at to see if he can try and get in Merab's head a little bit. It's of no effect, but it's just cute to see him try and do stuff like that. It's gonna be a great fight."
Catch Aljamain Sterling's comments here (1:45):