Both Aljamain Sterling and his teammate Merab Dvalishvili have each deferred the title shot against Sean O’Malley to each other and Dana White is getting sick of it.
The UFC President made sure to let everyone know how he feels about Sterling and Dvalishvili.
Sterling and Dvalishvili are well-known fans in the MMA world. So much so, that they each want the other man to be given the chance to fight Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight title.
Dvalishvili wants Sterling to have a rematch after just recently losing by TKO to O’Malley. Meanwhile, Sterling believes Dvalishvili is deserving of having his first title shot in his career.
As a result, Dana White is not pleased with Sterling and Dvalishvili. While talking with media members, the UFC President called out the two top contenders.
White even goes as far as to say “This is about finding out who the best in the world is. And if you don’t want to find out who the best in the world is, this is not the place for you.”
Here is his full statement.
"Why did you even get into this sport?" Dana White has some blunt and harsh words for Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling.
Full video: https://t.co/Q9rBGqQb7N pic.twitter.com/0jj4jmMLla
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 30, 2023
No matter your opinion of Dana White or anybody involved, it’s hard to disagree with the UFC President on this one.
I understand you don’t want to fight a teammate, but come on. Any and every fighter on the roster should be jumping at the opportunity to fight for the belt.
It’s a shame it’s getting to this point. But only time will tell who O’Malley will face off against in his first title defense.
As of now, Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili, and Marlon “Chito” Vera seem to be the top three options. Meanwhile, Henry Cejudo keeps throwing his name into the hat.
O’Malley has hinted he’d like to defend his belt in December. Nobody is on that fight card yet but the UFC will be announcing fights on that card soon.
So, hopefully, this situation gets resolved sooner, rather than later.