Matt Brown offers insight on Merab Dvalishvili steering clear of Aljamain Sterling fight despite winning streak

Matt Brown weighed in on the ongoing debate regarding Merab Dvalishvili's decision to steer clear of Aljamain Sterling despite his winning streak and status in the UFC bantamweight division.

Brown spoke with MMA Fighting, where he offered his insight on the situation after UFC president Dana White's comments that it never ends well when fighters avoid challenging for a title because their friend or teammate is the champion. The UFC veteran mentioned that he thinks White had a point and agreed with his comments.

He said:

"I think Dana [White] has a point and we've seen it play out that way before. I think when you're firing on all eight cylinders and the iron is hot, you've got to go for it and I totally agree with Dana."

Matt Brown continued by saying that he hasn't been in that situation before, so he could understand why Dvalishvili would sacrifice his title aspirations to not tarnish a close friendship, saying:

"On the other side of the token, I've never fought a friend before. I've fought guys that I know well, guys that I'm close with, and I've fought training partners. I would never fight a friend and I actually stand by Merab [Dvalishvili's] decision on that. I think it's very honorable of him to do that."

Perhaps another reason why Dvalishvili is reluctant to challenge for the title at the moment is because the reigning champion could possibly move up to featherweight after his fight with Henry Cejudo at UFC 288.

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When is Matt Brown fighting next?

Matt Brown is set to return to the octagon against former TUF winner Court McGee at UFC Fight 224 on May 13.

'The Immortal' announced the bout during an episode of The Fighter and The Writer podcast. He mentioned that he had the option of fighting a veteran like McGee or a younger up-and-coming fighter and opened up about why he decided to fight 'The Crusher', saying:

"They offered me a younger guy and then they offered me Court [McGee] and they said basically you can pick whichever one and I went for Court. I kind of played that card this time and to be honest, I think the younger guy may have been an easier fight. But this was the card I played this time so we'll see what happens."

Matt Brown suffered a split decision loss to Bryan Barberena in his last fight in March 2022, in which they both earned the Fight of the Night bonus. Brown will now aim to bounce back from the loss when he faces 'The Crusher.'