SALT LAKE CITY – Merab Dvalishvili left very little doubt about whether he wants to fight a friend and teammate for a title.
Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) was fairly dominant in a unanimous decision win over former featherweight champion Jose Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) at UFC 278 on Saturday. It kept him toward the top of contenders for a bantamweight title shot down the road.
But the bantamweight belt currently is held by Aljamain Sterling (21-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC), who happens to be one of Dvalishvili’s teammates and good friends at the Serra-Longo Fight Team gym on Long Island in New York.
After his win over Aldo, Dvalishvili said he has no intention of fighting Sterling for the title. UFC president Dana White thinks that mentality, along with what he perceived as a less-than-showcase-worthy win, might hold the 31-year-old back.
“First of all, I love Jose. I don’t want to sh*t on Jose. But Jose had zero offense tonight,” White said at his UFC 278 post-event news conference. “And Merab didn’t go after it like a guy that looks like he wants to fight for the title. And when asked the question about his friend holding the title and what did he want to do, he never really answered the question.
“I always say this: We’re the bells and whistles guys (in the UFC). We lay it out there for him, we give him the opportunity to shine, and it’s up to you to get out there and do it. That didn’t happen tonight.”
Dvalishvili’s win was his eighth straight stretching back more than four years. He started his UFC tenure with back-to-back losses, but has been on a tear ever since.
But seven of his eight wins have been by unanimous decision. The one finish Dvalishvili has in his current run came 11 months ago with a TKO of Marlon Moraes that got him a post-fight bonus.
Two years ago, the level of Dvalishvili’s competition picked up. After wins over Terrion Ware, Brad Katona, Casey Kenney and Gustavo Lopez, his four most recent victories have been over two-time UFC flyweight title challenger John Dodson, Cody Stamann, Moraes and now ex-featherweight champ Aldo.
But White thinks if Dvalishvili really wanted to impress him and the UFC brass, he should’ve brought a little something more to the table against Aldo in a bout in the middle of a high-profile pay-per-view main card.
“When you’re on a card like this, the place is packed like this, and you want to make a statement in that division, you go for it,” White said. “And I get it – he’s fighting Jose Aldo, and whatever. I don’t think Merab did himself a lot of favors (Saturday).”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.
