![Aljamain Sterling (left) and Ilia Topuria (right) are close friends and training partners. [Images courtesy: @funkmastermma and @merab.dvalishvili on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/01/f433e-17360456647657-1920.jpg)
![Aljamain Sterling (left) and Ilia Topuria (right) are close friends and training partners. [Images courtesy: @funkmastermma and @merab.dvalishvili on Instagram]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%206.25'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Aljamain Sterling reaffirmed his position regarding a potential matchup with his friend and teammate, Merab Dvalishvili, while answering a fan's question. Dvalishvili, who won the 135-pound title after Sterling lost it to O'Malley and moved up to featherweight, is set to attempt his first title defense at UFC 311 on Jan. 18.
Recently, Sterling expressed his excitement about his teammate's upcoming title fight on X. In response to a fan's query if 'Funk Master' would go back down to bantamweight if Dvalishvili lost the title to Nurmagomedov, Sterling confidently predicted for 'The Machine' to win, while indicating that he would not make the bantamweight limit again.
"2 things: Merab will win! And I’ll never make 135 again."
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Sterling and Dvalishvili are standout fighters from the Serra-Longo Fight Team. Despite being in the bantamweight title picture at the same time, the duo refused to fight each other.
Notably, Dvalishvili's dominant win over Petr Yan in March 2023 put him in the position for a title shot against Sterling. However, Dvalishvili stated that he and Sterling being two best friends cleaning out the rest of the division was a "a good problem" to have and refused to fight his teammate. Their refusal to fight each other has been viewed as holding up the division, a move that faced heavy criticism, even from UFC boss Dana White.
Aljamain Sterling was shocked to know that Merab Dvalishvili agreed to fight Umar Nurmagomedov
No.2-ranked bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov is viewed the toughest challenge for Merab Dvalishvili's title reign. Despite this, Dvalishvili agreed to face the Dagestani fighter on relatively short notice.
In a recent interview with Megan Olivi of ESPN MMA, Dvalishvili discussed Aljamain Sterling's reaction to his decision to accept the fight, stating:
"Aljo was a little bit shocked, like, 'Why you take this early? You should take a good training [camp].' 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."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (7:20):
