"Top warrior, but his jiu-jitsu and grappling not this level" - Merab Dvalishvili on T.J. Dillashaw's chances against teammate Aljamain Sterling
![(L-R) Merab Dvalishvili, T.J. Dillashaw, and Aljamain Sterling [@merab.dvalishvili, @tjdillashaw, and @funkmastermma on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/08/0af43-16597368002033-1920.jpg?w=500)
UFC 280, scheduled to take place on Fight Island in October, got a lot more intense with the Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw fight being added to the card.
Sterling, who is highly regarded for his grappling skills, trains at the famous Serra-Longo Fight Team where fellow grappler Merab Dvalishvili is his teammate. The Georgian seems confident of 'Funk Master' defending the belt against the former champion.
In an interview with 'The Schmo', Dvalishvili was asked whether he thought T.J. Dillashaw was going to be more of a challenge for Aljamain Sterling as compared to Petr Yan. He replied:
“I think it’ll be [a] much-much easier fight for Aljo you know, because T.J. Dillashaw [is a] good wrestler but Aljo’s grappling and control, he’s like taking [your] back and chokes people out. And T.J. Dillashaw I think he’s top warrior, but his jiu-jitsu and grappling not this level like Aljo’s.”
Merab Dvalishvili is currently on a seven-fight win streak and has landed the highest number of takedowns in UFC bantamweight history. He is currently ranked No.6 in the division and is scheduled to fight UFC legend Jose Aldo at UFC 278.
Check out what else Dvalishvili had to say below:
Aljamain Sterling’s teammate Merab Dvalishvili is considering moving down to flyweight post his Jose Aldo fight at UFC 278
Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili both compete in the bantamweight division and train together on the Serra-Longo Fight Team. While Sterling is set to defend his title at UFC 280, Dvalishvili will face Jose Aldo at UFC 278.
Dvalishvili is an extremely skilled grappler with a background in judo. However, he wants to avoid fighting fellow teammate Aljamain Sterling. While speaking to Helen Yee, he explained his stance:
“My fight and Jose Aldo fight is [going to be] so big, and I want to win, I’m not going to let Jose Aldo beat me. And if Jose Aldo beat me, he is next to fight title shot right, but I’m going to win, but I don’t care [about a] title fight now, and maybe after this win I will try [to] cut [weight] and go [down to] 125lbs. Or I’ll fight Sean O’Malley, somebody big name you know.”
Check out the full Merab Dvalishvili interview below:
Aside from the fact that Dvalishvili holds a tremendous amount of respect for his teammate, Sterling’s skills as a fighter could be another reason why he wants to avoid fighting ‘Funk Master’.