Merab Dvalishvili reveals Aljamain Sterling’s "shocked" reaction to his decision to fight Umar Nurmagomedov: "I don't even tell him before"
Merab Dvalishvili has revealed how Aljamain Sterling reacted when he agreed to fight Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili is set to attempt his first bantamweight title defense against the No.2-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. It seems that Dvalishvili's teammates believed he should have taken more time to prepare for Nurmagomedov instead of accepting the fight on relatively short notice.
In a recent interview with Megan Olivi for ESPN MMA, Dvalishvili stated that Sterling was shocked to learn about the upcoming fight, adding:
"I don't even tell him before, because he was, like, [in the middle of] a fight week and it happened like this. That's why I don't even tell nobody, you know... Because that's how Aljo makes his decisions, I make my own decisions. We don't talk like this, we are friends. We always support each other."
That said, Dvalishvili said he accepted the fight to meet the expectations of MMA fans and the UFC, agreeing to fight Nurmagomedov. He added that the Dagestani fighter's "disrespect" influenced his decision to take on the challenge.
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (7:25):
Merab Dvalishvili explains what he expects from the Umar Nurmagomedov in terms of competitive achievements
Speaking in the aforementioned interview with ESPN MMA, Merab Dvalishvili shared his thoughts on how the fight between him and Umar Nurmagomedo could play out, saying:
"It's going to be a tough fight, a good fight. And, of course I'm going to be looking for a finish, but to win against a top opponent and change his zero [from the losses column] to one, that would be good, you know. I'm not fighting somebody, like, an easy opponent. It's Umar Nurmagomedov and a win against him, I will take him, doesn't matter - But not like a disqualification or something. As long as I win good, I will be happy." [9:39]
Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov will fight in the UFC 311 co-main event on Jan. 18, 2025. Heading into the fight, Dvalishvili is a +170 underdog, while Nurmagomedov is a -200 favorite.
Dvalishvili was originally looking for a rematch against Sean O'Malley, whom he defeated at Noche UFC 306 to capture the bantamweight title. The pursuit of this rematch received significant criticism within the MMA community, particularly because the first fight was not closely contested.