MIAMI – Aljamain Sterling is confident his friend and teammate Merab Dvalishvili will do big things with his reign as UFC bantamweight champion.
Sterling held the UFC belt at 135 pounds and defended it three times, setting the record for most title defenses in the division. He believes Dvalishvili has all the tools and runway to surpass him in the division, especially after his most recent performance. Earlier this month, Dvalishvili completed his first title defense, handing Umar Nurmagomedov his first professional defeat in a big upset win.
“One hundred percent, I told him in the back room after he won,” Sterling told MMA Junkie when asked about his confidence in Dvalishvili breaking his record. “I said, ‘Brother, I’m telling you right now, you just got your first defense against who they say is supposed to be the toughest guy, and look what you did, look how you made him look.’ I thought it was 4-1 easily.
