NEWARK, N.J. – Merab Dvalishvili has set the bar high for gifts at his pal Aljamain Sterling’s upcoming wedding.
Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) on Saturday defended his bantamweight title in a rematch with ex-champ Sean O’Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in the UFC 316 main event. Dvalishvili beat O’Malley with a dominant decision this past fall, and made things look even easier with a third-round submission in the rematch.
Afterward, the champ credited his longtime good friend and training partner, former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling, for working with him during training camp – and pledged to give him half of his $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus as a wedding gift.
When Sterling was champion, Dvalishvili said he was content to not fight for the belt as long as his friend held it. But O’Malley was the one who dethroned Sterling, which paved the way for Dvalishvili to make his title run – and sent Sterling to featherweight.
“In this training camp, my friend Aljamain Sterling helped me so much,” Dvalishvili said at his post-fight news conference at Prudential Center. “He doesn’t have a fight (booked) – he’s getting married. He doesn’t really like sparring, but he was sparring with me three times a week (to mimic O’Malley). He was two times better than Sean O’Malley’s striking. He was not trying to shoot on me, take me down.
“That proves again that it’s not always the best fighter who wins. O’Malley got really lucky against Aljo. But I’m grateful for my friend Aljamain Sterling.”
Dvalishvili has become known for his relentless pace and cardio – but also has been criticized for the lack of finishes on his resume. The submission of O’Malley broke a streak of five straight decision wins for the champ.
Overall, 15 of his 20 career wins have gone the distance. His only UFC finish prior to the O’Malley rematch came against Marlon Moraes in 2021.
Check out Dvalishvili’s full post-fight news conference above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Merab Dvalishvili splits UFC 316 bonus with ex-champ Aljamain Sterling