Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t have many more options at bantamweight, but TJ Dillashaw has an idea and he thinks it would make a lot of money.
Earlier this month Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended his bantamweight title for a second time when he once again dominated Sean O’Malley when they clashed in the UFC 316 main event.
Immediately after the fight, UFC boss Dana White dropped a huge hint regarding Dvalishvili’s next title defense, highlighting Cory Sandhagen as the likely next challenger, while also claiming a rematch against Umar Nurmagomedov would be ‘interesting’.
No matter who ‘The Machine’ takes on next, he is already being credited as the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time, overtaking the likes of Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillashaw.
TJ Dillashaw pitches wild opponent for Merab Dvalishvili next
When the Georgian was just a contender in the 135lb division, Dana White was continuously left frustrated as Dvalishvili refused to fight Aljamain Sterling, his teammate, who at the time was the champion of the division.
Since losing the title to O’Malley and Dvalishvili’s success as a champion, Sterling opted to move up in weight and is 1-1 at 145lbs.
However, the former bantamweight champion, Dillashaw, wants to see a clash between Dvalishvili and Sterling, claiming ‘Funkmaster’ may be the only one to pose a problem to the Georgian.
“I want to see Merab and Sterling fight,” Dillashaw said in a recent episode of the Jaxxon Podcast.
“They could make so much money. I understand (that they’re best friends) but you’re getting paid, who gives a s—. (Sterling) should come back down… You’re here to get paid, I don’t know, I think it’d be an awesome story,” Dillashaw continued.
Merab Dvalishvili was recently swarmed during an open-top bus parade
Following his win over O’Malley, Dvalishvili returned to his home country of Georgia to celebrate with his fans in true Merab fashion.
Upon arrival, ‘The Machine’ was utterly swarmed by fans as he stood on top of an open-top bus, showcasing his UFC title.
Dvalishvili continues to grow into one of the biggest stars in the sport and with him hoping to make another title defense this year, he could finish the year as pound-for-pound number one.