"He fought three times in thirteen months" - Merab Dvalishvili blames UFC for friend Aljamain Sterling's defeat at the hands of Sean O'Malley
UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili believes that the UFC might have had a role to play in his teammate and friend Aljamain Sterling's loss to Sean O'Malley. Dvalishvili recently sat down for an interview with Kevin Iole where he spoke about the clash between 'Funk Master' and O'Malley.
Dvalishvili mentioned how prior to his fight against 'Suga', Sterling had been a part of three fights in a 13-month period. 'The Machine' claimed that Sterling wanted to take a break but was pushed by the UFC to make a quick turnaround and lock horns against O'Malley.
"[Aljamain Sterling] was very tired to make weight and he was very busy. He fought [three times in 13 months] and for five rounds... After he beat Henry Cejudo, he was gonna take a long time-off. And they [UFC] push him and he had to come back in a couple of months and he was just tired. He wasn't like mentally there. That's how I see it. He wanted to just finish this fight and go on a vacation. Unfortunately, it didn't work for him. But, we learn and we move on."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (6:05):
Sterling and O'Malley at UFC 292 in August 2023. The fight was a short-lived affair as 'Suga' scored a knockout in the second round to be crowned the new bantamweight king.
What's next for Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling?
Merab Dvalishvili is all set to fight for the UFC title in his next outing. He will go up against Sean O'Malley at Noche UFC 306. The event will be held on Sept. 14 and the Sphere at Las Vegas, Nevada will serve as the venue.
Aljamain Sterling, on the other hand, will return to action at UFC 307 against Movsar Evloev in a featherweight showdown. The event will take place on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah and will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr.