Aljamain Sterling explains why he will vacate UFC title after Sean O'Malley bout

16 August 2023 , 10:29

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Aljamain Sterling is set to move up to featherweight (Image: Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

UFC champion Aljamain Sterling is set to move up a weight class so his teammate Merab Dvalishvili can fight for the belt.

Sterling makes the fourth defence of his bantamweight belt against top contender Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 this Saturday in Boston. 'Funkmaster' controversially won the belt by disqualification in 2021 and has since defended it with consecutive wins against Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo.

Patiently waiting for his shot at the 135lb belt is Sterling's teammate Dvalishvili, who is the No.1 ranked contender in the division. The close friends have refused to fight each other and Sterling no longer wants to get in the way of Dvalishvili's title hopes, which is why he is set to move up to featherweight after facing O'Malley.

Who wins at UFC 292 this Saturday - Aljamain Sterling or Sean O'Malley? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below

“This is more than likely my last fight at 135,” Sterling said on The MMA Hour. "There’s a 99 per cent chance it’s my last. If I win this, for sure, I’m out of here. It’s Merab’s time and the second part of that is, I’m a little bit over cutting weight, this much weight. I walk around 165 to 170 pounds. I think I could hold that frame relatively better, and I think my conditioning and everything could actually go up a little bit more, back to when I was younger, where I was cutting less.

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"I could cut 20 to 25 pounds and I would compete like an animal, like an Energizer bunny for days. Now, I kind of feel like I’m slowing down a little bit, and that comes with age. I'm 34 now and I want to get ahead of it before it gets ahead of me. We aren't giving away the title, but we're going for champ-champ.

Aljamain Sterling fights Sean O'Malley this Saturday (Zuffa LLC)

Dvalishvili is on a nine-fight unbeaten streak with wins against former champions such as Jose Aldo and Yan. Sterling feels Dvalishvili is warranted a title shot given his spot in the rankings, accompanied by the fact that many of the other top bantamweight contenders are currently sidelined due to injury.

“All these guys, they’re falling apart,” Sterling added. “The only other person is Merab, who’s a maniac that trains with one hand after just getting surgery. This guy is still training with one hand, sparring and grappling, it’s crazy. He’s going to be the guy who’s leading that path. We'll see how this weekend plays out and go from there."

Harry Davies