Sean O'Malley and Tim Welch recently opened up about the upcoming Noche UFC event and argued that Aljamain Sterling is secretly rooting for Merab Dvalishvili to come up short. 'Suga' and his coach claimed that the former bantamweight champion doesn't want his training partner to succeed.
The reigning UFC bantamweight champion has not shied away from sharing his opinions on other fighters and believes there could be some underlying jealousy. During the latest episode of TimboSugarShow with guest The MMA Guru, Welch posed a question on whether Sterling could be hoping that Dvalishvili doesn't dethrone O'Malley. He said:
"Do you think Aljo [Sterling] genuinely wants Merab [Dvalishvili] to win [at Noche UFC]? I don't know." [4:12 - 4:12]
'Suga' chimed in and responded by mentioning that perhaps the reason behind 'Funk Master' would root for his training partner to lose is because a win wouldn't put him in a good light. O'Malley mentioned that Sterling's loss could look worse if Dvalishvili is more competitive or even manages to become the new bantamweight champion. He said:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
"Oh, I see what you're saying there. It makes him [Sterling] look worse if Merab [Dvalishvili]...A broken gym. Really...So, Aljo's going for me to knock [Dvalishvili] out faster than I knocked out Aljo is what you're saying?...It's definitely possible" [4:13 - 4:40]
Check out the full episode featuring Sean O'Malley and Tim Welch's comments below:
Sean O'Malley urges Merab Dvalishvili's training partners to avoid injuring him before Noche UFC
In addition to questioning whether Aljamain Sterling is rooting against Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O'Malley urged 'The Machine's training partners to avoid injuring him before Noche UFC.
The comment was in reaction to Dvalishvili posting a photo of a cut he received in training that required stitches. During the aforementioned episode, O'Malley mentioned that he would appreciate it if Dvalishvili's teammates toned it down as their main event title fight nears. He said:
"That's the thing, no one fu** around with Merab [Dvalishvili]...He's gotta get to the fight [at Noche UFC]. Let's just get there." [3:36 - 3:42]
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's stitches below: