Merab Dvalishvili UFC: PFL Fighter If Not Champion

Merab Dvalishvili Credits Aljamain Sterling for His UFC Success, Jokes He Might Be in PFL Without Him

Merab ⁢Dvalishvili, the current UFC Bantamweight Champion, ‌has⁢ revealed ⁤the significant impact his teammate and friend, Aljamain Sterling, has had on his career. Ahead of his​ upcoming ‍fight⁣ against Cory Sandhagen​ at UFC 320, Dvalishvili admitted‌ he might not be where he is today without⁢ Sterling’s influence.

Dvalishvili, currently on⁣ a 13-fight win streak ⁢with two title defenses, ⁣stated on Daniel Cormier’s youtube channel⁢ that he could potentially be ​fighting in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) if not‌ for Sterling.He explained that‌ having a successful UFC fighter like Sterling in his gym ⁤provided inspiration and a tangible example of what was⁢ possible.

“When​ you have a UFC fighter in⁤ your gym, real UFC fighter, you can look up ⁢to⁣ him and then you see, oh, this ⁣guy do it. I can do⁢ it ​too.You see he’s working hard. ⁢It’s just an example,” Dvalishvili‍ said. He drew a parallel to Cain Velasquez’s championship win inspiring the fighters at​ AKA (American Kickboxing Academy).

Sterling,‍ a highly accomplished bantamweight fighter himself, arrived in the UFC three years before Dvalishvili and holds the record for most title‌ defenses in the division. the two have a longstanding agreement not to fight each other out of respect for their friendship.

Former champion TJ Dillashaw has also expressed interest in seeing the two ​friends compete against each other,⁣ despite their repeated statements against it.