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“Cutting Weight Is Overrated!”: Aljamain Sterling Hints at a Move to Featherweight Division Clearing the Way for Friend Merab Dvalishvili’s UFC Championship Ambitions

Published 03/19/2023, 4:25 PM EDT

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Aljamain Sterling is currently at the peak of his career, reigning on the bantamweight throne. The UFC fighter is already booked for a fight against the former two-division champion, Henry Cejudo, at UFC 288. The ‘Funk Master’ is already gearing up to have a war on May 6th. This fight will also mark the return of ‘The Messenger’ to the UFC octagon. However, on several occasions, the 33-year-old was hinting toward moving up to 145 lbs. The major reason for his moving up is to clear the road to the championship for his best buddy, Merab Dvalishvili.

After his glorifying victory in UFC Fight Night 21, Dvalishvili is the most suitable contender to face the current bantamweight champion. However, the Georgian fighter was not ready to call out Sterling, as they were best buddies. Both Sterling and ‘The Machine’ do not want to fight against each other, no matter what. When the 32-year-old refused to fight the current bantamweight champ, he was showered with praise for choosing friendship over a championship title. Moreover, it is not just ‘The Machine’; the ‘Funk Master’ is also ready to go the distance for his buddy. Sterling, through his Twitter, has indicated that he will soon move up to 145 lbs.

Aljamain Sterling makes it obvious that he is moving up

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The 33-year-old, recently took to his Twitter to let the world know of his plan to move up. He wrote, Looks like cutting weight is overrated! What a 145 lb debut and finish for Jack Shore! #UFC286.The tweet made it clear that Uniondale born is bulking up to make a move from bantamweight to featherweight. Not so long ago, the ‘Funk Master’ posted a photo with UFC superstar Conor McGregor. Under the post, Sterling wrote, Maybe I really am a featherweight. Let me take out the turd trash bag first.

 

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Not just the photo with McGregor, but all the recent sightings of Sterling point out his move to featherweight. However, at the moment, it is visible that Sterling is letting his best friend reach his championship dream.

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“You Got 9 Weeks Left” – Aljamain Sterling Trash Talks Henry Cejudo With His Baby Strapped to Him in Hilarious Back & Forth

If he won, Dvalishvili would be the first UFC champion from Georgia, and Sterling wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t become an obstacle in his friend’s path to his dream.

Dana White is not happy with the two best friends

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 The decision of the best friends didn’t sit well with the UFC president, Dana White. In a viral Twitter video, the 53-year-old lashed out at Dvalishvili and Sterling for choosing not to fight each other. Moreover, the UFC boss mentioned how, at the beginning of the promotion, the fighters had very few options and had to bout against their teammates. Additionally, he advised that choosing friendship over a championship is never a great idea.

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Written by:

Priyanka

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Priyanka is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. She has been an ardent fan of the UFC since 2018. She is passionate when it comes to writing about the sport and this is evident in her articles.
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Edited by:

Vineet Nandwana