Aljamain Sterling says UFC can't afford the price he has for fighting teammate Merab Dvalishvili

Aljamain Sterling has addressed the possibility of him facing longtime teammate and friend Merab Dvalishvili in a professional MMA bout inside the UFC's famed octagon. While Sterling is the reigning UFC bantamweight champion, Dvalishvili holds the No. 1 position in the official UFC bantamweight rankings.

In an edition of the BS w/ Jake Paul podcast, Aljamain Sterling spoke to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and asserted that he has no desire to fight Merab Dvalishvili.

However, Sterling suggested that they could fight each other if the UFC offers them a significant sum of money that would financially secure his and Dvalishvili's respective families for the rest of their lives. The bantamweight kingpin didn't specify the amount but insinuated that they won't fight one another for amounts as low as $500,000.

Additionally, Aljamain Sterling referred to Merab Dvalishvili as "one of the boys" and his "main training partner." Sterling further implied that the UFC can't afford to pay the price he'd demand for their fight. Besides, he explained that people say that they fight each other at the gym anyway and could do the same inside the octagon.

He indicated that their fights are incredibly intense and would be even more intense if they clash in a professional MMA bout. Moreover, 'Funk Master' highlighted that he and 'The Machine' wouldn't be where they are in their careers without one another. Sterling stated:

"To do that and to really try to fight each other and try to hurt each other, I go meet his family, he goes and meets my family. He goes to my country, Jamaica. I go to his country, Georgia. Dude, it's just not even right."

He added:

"Like, there's no way you could do something like that unless it's going to be something that's so substantial that if we want to just be done and we never had to work again, okay, cool. But I know that's never going to happen. So, it's just me throwing out that number that's never going to happen."

Catch Aljamain Sterling's comments below (36:30):

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What's next for Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili?

Aljamain Sterling's most recent fight witnessed him successfully defend his UFC bantamweight title by defeating former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo via split decision back in May of this year. Sterling is scheduled to defend his title against Sean O'Malley in the headlining bout at UFC 292 on August 19th, 2023.

Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan in March. Dvalishvili subsequently underwent hand surgery. His manager recently revealed that 'The Machine' would likely be sidelined for about three to four months.

While his friendship with Aljamain Sterling has prevented Merab Dvalishvili from fighting for bantamweight gold in the recent past, the fact remains that Sterling could move up to the featherweight division soon. Therefore, Dvalishvili might find himself competing for the bantamweight title sooner rather than later, provided he continues his winning ways.