Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling may be climbing the ladder as a featherweight now, but his old strap returned to his camp this past September when Sterling's longtime friend and teammate Merab Dvalishvili captured the belt off Sean O'Malley. The dynamic duo are fixtures in each other's fight camps, which remained true for Dvalishvili's crowning moment at UFC 306. Dvalishvili's first title defense is yet to be set and Among that group is the UFC's No.
2-ranked bantamweight contender, the undefeated 18-0 Umar Nurmagomedov, who has the best case in the minds of many after defeating Cory Sandhagen in a rout this past August. As impressive as Nurmagomedov has been thus far, he still shoulders criticism from his peers for how quickly he's entered the title picture. Speculation surfaced shortly after Dvalishvili's win that the promotion wanted to set up his first title defense for December, which turned into a rumored Nurmagomedov vs.
Song Yadong matchup that also isn't happening. Dvalishvili is taking his time until early 2025, and the former champion Sterling has advised his teammate to tread carefully in the championship waters. "I'm not saying [Nurmagomedov is] not good," Sterling said on "I love Umar.
I think Umar's a great guy, but the facts are the facts. I don't care what your cousin (Khabib Nurmagomedov) has done. That does not have any bearing on what you've done for the sport.
You've got to cut your teeth in this game. Not riding the coattails of your f.
