Aljamain Sterling suggests he will move up in weight if teammate Merab Dvalishvili wins his next fight: “Allow him his chance that he earned, to make history for Georgia”

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has suggested he will move up in weight if Merab Dvalishvili wins his next fight.

For many years now, Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili have been close friends and training partners – despite the fact they’re both members of the division’s elite top 15. At this moment in time Dvalishvili is a rising contender whereas Sterling is the undisputed champion after seeing off the challenge of Petr Yan in their rematch earlier this year.

Many have questioned whether or not they’d ever square off in the Octagon but as per Sterling, he’d rather step aside and give Merab the chance to win the gold for Georgia.

After Merab’s next win, I will probably have to move up, to allow him his chance that he earned, to make history for Georgia 🇬🇪 to win a world title. We will figure it out. https://t.co/buDwgCSObs

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) May 31, 2022

“After Merab’s next win, I will probably have to move up, to allow him his chance that he earned, to make history for Georgia to win a world title. We will figure it out.”

Dvalishvili hasn’t yet had an official fight confirmed by the UFC in the wake of his comeback triumph over Marlon Moraes at UFC 266 which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

He’s recently called out a string of names but above all others, the one he appears to be the most interested in is none other than Petr Yan.

Nobody knows how to neutralise the game of Yan more so than Sterling and even though having him in his corner is no guarantee of success, you’d have to think Merab would feel somewhat confident about his chances.

Sterling, meanwhile, has his eyes set on bigger and better things – most notably defending his belt against either TJ Dillashaw or Henry Cejudo in his next outing later this year.

Do you think there’s a chance we could see Aljamain Sterling make the move up to featherweight? If so, what kind of success do you think he’d have up there?