Aljamain Sterling believes UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is being rushed to defend his title.
Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) meets Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) within the UFC 311 co-main occasion (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) Jan. 18 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
After claiming the bantamweight title this previous September at UFC 306, Dvalishvili was trying to take a while off. Nevertheless, he wound up booked in opposition to Nurmagomedov sooner than he wished, and Sterling is concerned that Dvalishvili wasn’t given extra time to organize for his first title protection.
“This combat is being made on six weeks’ discover? Perhaps six-and-a-half,” Sterling stated on “The Ariel Helwani Present.” “For a title combat? I perceive having to try this for those who’re a challenger, however as a champion, you shouldn’t be relegated to these kind of stipulations. It’s simply not proper.
“Then it leaves a nasty style in your mouth as in, ‘Why did I work so laborious to get to this place to name the pictures or a few of the pictures?’ And also you’re not even getting a good shake in it. Hopefully we go on the market – knock on wooden – Merab does his factor, he takes (Nurmagomedov’s) 0, places on an important efficiency, and we are able to transfer on from this and on to the subsequent.”
Sterling can relate to Dvalishvili’s present scenario. After Sterling retained his bantamweight title in opposition to Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in Could 2023, he was requested to defend his belt in opposition to Sean O’Malley simply greater than three months later at UFC 292. He misplaced the combat by knockout.
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