‘I will probably have to move up’ – Sterling teases jump to 145 pending Dvalishvili’s next win

Nothing breeds confidence like success, but winning can also come with its own problems—especially in combat sports, where the higher a fighter climbs the…

By: Zane Simon | 12 months ago
‘I will probably have to move up’ – Sterling teases jump to 145 pending Dvalishvili’s next win
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Nothing breeds confidence like success, but winning can also come with its own problems—especially in combat sports, where the higher a fighter climbs the fewer and fewer fights it makes sense for them to take. That’s a problem current bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling may find himself facing, as he recently got fans talking about potential title contenders with a somewhat cryptic post on social media.

That Tweet kicked off a some speculation over just who among the bantamweight elite might be in position to vie for the title, with discussion largely swirling around potential fights with TJ Dillashaw and Jose Aldo. When longtime Team Serra Longo teammate and training partner Merab Dvalishvili’s name got brought up in the mix, however, Sterling let slip a potential plan for the future—provided, of course, that both men keep winning their fights.

No word yet on exactly when Sterling plans to return to competition. The ‘Funkmaster’ reiterated his desire to sit down with Dana White and discuss the current contender’s picture before signing a deal for his next title defense. Recently the 32-year-old suggested that he’d be interested in returning in September, possibly as a co-main event for the teased Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic PPV headliner, provided that bout doesn’t happen over the summer as originally intended.

Share this story

About the author
Zane Simon
Zane Simon

Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer, and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. He has worked with the website since 2013, taking on a wide variety of roles. A lifelong combat sports fan, Zane has trained off & on in both boxing and Muay Thai. He currently hosts the long-running MMA Vivisection podcast, which he took over from Nate Wilcox & Dallas Winston in 2015, as well as the 6th Round podcast, started in 2014. Zane is also responsible for developing and maintaining the ‘List of current UFC fighters’ on Bloody Elbow, a resource he originally developed for Wikipedia in 2010.

More from the author

Recent Stories