Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev Like Fate Predicted for Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili After Speculation Surrounding UFC Bantamweight Champ for UFC 292

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will take on ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley in the main event of UFC 292 this Saturday. The 34-year-old defeated former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in a split decision in May this year and comes off a nine-fight win streak into the match. O’Malley comes into the fight with one loss on his eighteen-fight record. He emerged victorious in a close decision against former champion Petr Yan that many felt could have gone either way.

Sterling has already talked about this being his last fight at 135, and wanting to see fellow Serra-Longo fight team member Merab Dvalishvili get the title shot. This is why verbose UFC title contender and commentator Chael Sonnen compares their relationship to that between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.

Chael Sonnen draws parallels between Sterling – Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov – Makhachev

On his YouTube channel, Sonnen pointed out that Aljamain Sterling was miserable due to the significant amount of weight he has to cut to make 135 pounds. He felt that the New Yorker is only fighting O’Malley because he feels he is obligated to do so.

“He’s [Sterling’s] cutting weight. He’s miserable. The champion of the world is completely miserable… Sterling said this days ago that he’s gonna deal with O’Malley because that’s on the plate,” he said.

‘Funkmaster’ has already spoken about his desire to see Dvalishvili fight for the title once he vacates (or loses) it since he does not want to fight the Georgian, who he considers a close friend. ‘The Bad Guy’ felt their relationship mirrors that of Nurmagomedov and Makhachev as they were part of the same team and ‘The Eagle’ was a public advocate for Makhachev to get a shot at the lightweight crown.

“This is what he was trying to say ‘I want to go to [featherweight]’. As a matter of fact, I got my heir apparent, same as Khabib had his heir apparent at 55 I got mine at 35, right here my teammate Dvalishvili,” Sonnen told his audience.”

Sonnen thinks Sterling could call out Volkanovski on Saturday

Sterling has talked about how punishing the weight cut to bantamweight has been on his body and O’Malley being his last opponent at 135. Sonnen agreed that his next fight on Saturday would be the most opportune time for ‘Funkmaster’ to leave the division. He speculated that if Sterling was to call out featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski after a victory over O’Malley, that would alter the featherweight landscape.

Read More – “He Is the Best Guy”: While Mocking Dana White, Aljamain Sterling Names Sean O’Malley As His “Toughest” Fight, Snubbing Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo

“I’m gonna deal with him [O’Malley] but it stops here, and there is not a next guy, right? Like that isn’t established. If there’s a time for Sterling to bounce, it’s Saturday. If Sterling defeats O’Malley, takes the microphone, and instantly calls out Volkanovski, we are in a very different world,” he said.

It seems pretty clear Sterling intends his fight against ‘Sugar’ to be his last at 135. This opens the door for a possible clash with undefeated featherweight Ilia Topuria and an eventual title shot against ‘Volk’ while the Australian takes on Makhachev in their much-awaited rematch. How do you see Sterling vs. O’Malley playing out this Saturday? Let us know in the comments section below.

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