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Merab Dvalishvili could possibly leave the bantamweight class and head south after his next bout. His closeness to regular training partner and UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is informing this idea.
Speaking recently with Helen Yee at Syndicate MMA, Dvalishvili covered several subjects. He discussed the upcoming Petr Yan vs Sean O'Malley at UFC 280, the return of former 135-pound champion Henry Cejudo, and more.
In breaking down his upcoming fight against Jose Aldo at UFC 278, Dvalishvili said:
"I just want to win against Jose Aldo. Even this win will be big for me then we'll see what's going to happen after. We all know, me and Aljo we're never fighting each other. I just want this win. We see after. But this is good problem to have. We are best friends. So he's champion and I'm ok. Aljo makes me tell. He beats me everyday in the gym!"
Merab Dvalishvili continued:
"I don't know. Other than Aljo I fight training with other people, I don't feel any danger. But Aljo he's the best, that's why he's champion and I'm so happy for him. He's helping me for Jose Aldo fight everyday. We're training and we're going to show world."
Watch the interview/ video below:
Also during the chat, 'The Machine' stated that his next fight would either be a big bantamweight name like Sean O'Malley or a cut down to flyweight. This is if he ideally gets a win here towards the month's end.
Dvalishvili is presently the No. 6 ranked contender at bantamweight. Conversely, Aldo is the No. 3 ranked 135 pounder in the UFC as of this writing.
Merab Dvalishvili's mixed martial arts journey
After a pair of amateur mixed martial arts victories, Dvalishvili made his pro MMA debut in January 2014. He cut his teeth early on with circuits like Ring of Combat, CFFC, and CES before making his UFC debut in December 2017.
After overcoming back-to-back defeats to Frankie Saenz and Ricky Simon, Merab Dvalishvili put together seven straight wins, a streak that he rides into this August 20 fight.
Dvalishvili has collected UFC wins over Terrion Ware, Brad Katona, Casey Kenney, Gustavo Lopez, John Dodson, Cody Stamann, and Marlon Moraes during this stretch.
He last competed at UFC 266 last September and Dvalishvili is presumably chomping at the bit to break his near one-year competitive hiatus from MMA.
Merab Dvalishvili has an overall mixed martial arts record of 14 wins opposite four defeats as of this writing.
