Morning Report: Aljamain Sterling's Take on Merab Dvalishvili's Loss at UFC 323
Aljamain Sterling, a teammate of Merab Dvalishvili, offered a unique perspective on the bantamweight title fight at UFC 323, where Dvalishvili lost to Petr Yan.
As a close friend and cornerman, Sterling witnessed Dvalishvili's fourth title defense of 2025 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite the loss, Sterling initially believed Dvalishvili was on track to win, particularly in the first three rounds.
"I thought we were winning the first three rounds, even though they were close," Sterling explained on his YouTube channel. "Especially in the fourth round, I knew Yan won, and then in Round 5, he started getting the better of it. So, I figured it would be 3-2 for us. But it ended up being 4-1 and 3-2 for Yan."
However, Sterling later acknowledged that Yan's performance was exceptional, and Dvalishvili may have struggled due to various factors. Sterling suggested that Dvalishvili's decision to engage in stand-up exchanges might have been a strategic mistake, given his 29 attempted takedowns.
"I can't tell you why he decided to stand in front of him for as long as he did," Sterling said. "We tried to tell him between rounds to add in wrestling as the X-factor. But it's hard to say for sure."
Despite the loss, Sterling remains optimistic about Dvalishvili's future. He believes Dvalishvili could have beaten many fighters on that night and hopes for a trilogy fight with Yan. Sterling also mentioned the possibility of Dvalishvili taking a break before facing a new challenger.
The article concludes with a list of top stories from the MMA world, including President Donald Trump's prediction of multiple championship fights at the UFC White House event, reactions to Dvalishvili's loss, and other notable news.
