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Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling reacted to a post on Instagram highlighting him and Merab Dvalishvili supporting one another during their title reigns.
Both Sterling and Dvalishvili have been teammates and cornermen for each other. The former won the bantamweight title against Petr Yan in 2021 and defended it thrice against Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo. On the other hand, Dvalishvili beat Sean O'Malley to win the strap and defended the belt against Umar Nurmagomedov this past weekend.
Both fighters are a part of the Serra-Longo team and have supported each other for a long time. Notably, when the UFC attempted to get them to fight each other when Sterling was the champion, they refused. Instead, after losing the belt to O'Malley, 'Funk Master' opted to move up to featherweight, clearing the way for Dvalishvili.
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Celebrating their bond, ESPN MMA shared a post on Instagram with the caption:
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"Merab Dvalishvili said that Aljamain Sterling is the greatest bantamweight of all time after Aljo cornered Merab during his first title defense at #UFC311 🤝 The bond between these elite fighters is special ❤️"
The former bantamweight champion commented:
"❤️❤️❤️❤️"
Merab Dvalishvili's coach shares information on his return schedule
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili put on an impressive performance against Umar Nurmagomedov on Saturday, breaking the Russian's perfect record. The Georgian fighter had previously stated he sought a quick turnaround following his fight at UFC 311. Dvailishvili hopes to stay busy and fight two to three times more this year.
Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA, Dvalishvili's coach, John Wood, asserted he would like to see 'The Machine' rest and recharge his body. He said:
"I would appreciate it if he could have a couple of months to just, like, chill. And by chill, I mean he's going to be back in here in the next few days training... If we get lined up by May or June, that wouldn't make me mad. April would be a little quick, but May or June-ish feels like we have plenty of time to heal."
Check out John Wood's comments below (7:02):
