Merab Dvalishvili just scored a massive victory over the former champion of the bantamweight division Petr Yan. However, did he have sufficient time to enjoy the pinnacle of his career? That is questionable given that Dana White cautioned him shortly after his victory for making a poor decision regarding his future.
Dana White cautions Merab Dvalishvili: ‘Really bad idea’ to avoid fighting friend Aljamain Sterling https://t.co/WWSG8NI2b9 pic.twitter.com/cH5xe80Bkl
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) March 12, 2023
‘The Machine’ continued his incredible winning streak with a victory against Petr Yan at yesterday’s UFC Fight Night held at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. After winning the main event on Saturday, the Georgian now has an impressive nine-fight winning run.
Why did Dana White issue a warning to Merab Dvalishvili?
Dvalishvili is now ranked second in the UFC’s 135-pound category. While his friend Aljamain Sterling is the current champion of the division. Career graph and progression indicate that a fight between Dvalishvili and Sterling should take place next, but the Georgian fighter has refused to face his friend Sterling in order to get a title shot.
As Dana was speaking to the media on Saturday night at the UFC APEX, this is the reason why he vented his fury towards Merab. According to the UFC president back in the early days, the camps were so small that fighters didn’t have a lot of different options. So they had a lot of these guys saying, ‘Oh, he’s my friend, he’s my friend.’
”You can still be friends and want what your friend has. It would be a really bad idea for Merab to go down that path.” said Dana.
Prior to yesterday, the 32-year-old fighter has won his previous fights over Jose Aldo, Cody Stamann, and Marlon Moraes. He has two choices if he wants to become the best in his division: battle Sean O’Malley or take on his friend for the title.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄! 😤
Merab Dvalishvili has defeated Petr Yan! 👏#UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/lfeWq1P5gN
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) March 12, 2023
“Does Merab want a shot at the title, or would Merab rather have people under him jump over him ? And him have to take on all these different top guys when he’s not even getting the title shot when he’s next in line for it? That’s a personal decision that he needs to make. If that’s what he wants to do. I can tell you how that story ends. It’s not a good ending to that story. But he’s a big boy, he can figure that out on his own.” Dana added.
Merab Dvalishvili believes Petr Yan learned a lesson in respect at #UFCLasVegas
📰 https://t.co/31ovMpyTBv pic.twitter.com/RfI1rtTUj0
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) March 12, 2023
Who should Merab Dvalishvili fight next, Sean O’Malley or Aljamain Sterling?
