Aljamain Sterling responds after Will Harris asks fans to pick favorite between ‘Funk Master’ and ‘The Machine’
Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili have shared that they have no interest in fighting one another. The bantamweight champion recently responded to Anatomy of a Fighter creator Will Harris after the latter posed a question teasing a potential matchup between the close friends.
Harris initially posted on Twitter:
"I KNOW I KNOW, but who would win between @funkmasterMMA vs @MerabDvalishvil ? I just want to see the comments."
Aljamain Sterling quickly responded, accusing the filmmaker of allowing mixed martial arts manager Ali Abdelaziz to tweet from his account:
"Brother, what is wrong you lately? Is @AliAbdelaziz00 taking your phone too, brother?"
Harris pointed out that he is aware the two will never fight:
"Haha, no I am literally asking a hypothetical question. What is wrong with that? You say dumb shit all the time to. I know you will never fight."
Check out the tweets from Will Harris and Aljamain Sterling below:
I KNOW I KNOW, but who would win between @funkmasterMMA vs @MerabDvalishvil ? I just want to see the comments.
Brother, what is wrong you lately? Is @AliAbdelaziz00 taking your phone too, brother? twitter.com/willharrisaoaf…
@funkmasterMMA @AliAbdelaziz00 Haha, no I am literally asking a hypothetical question. What is wrong with that? You say dumb shit all the time to. I know you will never fight.
Sterling is set to face Henry Cejudo, who is managed by Abdelaziz, for the bantamweight title at UFC 288. The mixed martial arts manager has faced several accusations for tweeting from his fighters' accounts.
While Merab Dvalishvili's dominant showing at UFC Fight Night 221 has placed him in contention for a title opportunity, he is unlikely to face Sterling if 'Funk Master' remains the champion. Both fighters have suggested that they would switch weight classes before facing one another.
Merab Dvalishvili discusses "good problem to have" with Aljamain Sterling as bantamweight champion
Merab Dvalishvili could be next in line for a bantamweight title opportunity. However, he has no interest in facing bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who is one of his closest friends. Speaking at the UFC Fight Night 221 post-fight press conference, 'The Machine' discussed his plans by saying:
"I’ll fight anybody. I want to be busy and I will fight anybody. Whoever UFC chooses me to fight. I don’t have no problem. This is a good problem to have - two best friends, two teammates. My best friend is champion, and I’m one of the top [bantamweight fighters]. This is a good problem. We are cleaning the division. That’s a good feeling."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (starting at the 36:09 mark):
Dvalishvili was able to dominate former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC Fight Night 221, winning all five rounds on all three judges' scorecards. While his dominant performance could grant him a title opportunity, it will likely depend on the outcome of UFC 288, as well as the crowded bantamweight title picture. It remains to be seen if either 'The Machine' or 'Funk Master' will wind up changing divisions rather than facing one another.