The first UFC pay-per-view is in the rearview and, as expected, the MMA world is buzzing with big new stories. As such, brace yourselves for the biggest headlines from our favorite sport over the last 24 hours. To kick this one off, we’ll take a look at Merab Dvalishvili, who jibed at Umar Nurmagomedov’s camp after his win over the Dagestan native at UFC 311.

Thereafter, we will take a look at Dana White, who expressed an interest in signing a fighter who used to compete in a rival promotion. Finally, we will sum this roundup edition up with Alex Pereira, who had a message for Magomed Ankalaev ahead of their UFC 313 showdown.

Merab Dvalishvili claims Aljamain Sterling is a better wrestler than all of Team Khabib

In a fight that he went in as the underdog, Merab Dvalishvili proved that he’s indeed the real deal and the bantamweight champion at UFC 311. He handed Umar Nurmagomedov his first professional loss, taking him down several times during their 5-round war, and even set a record for the most takedowns in UFC history at 91, beating Georges St-Pierre’s 90.

Rightfully so, Dvalishvili was awarded the $50K bonus, but what caught the attention of the MMA community was his comments about how Aljamain Sterling helped him in training to prepare for his first title defense. And guess what? ‘The Machine’ placed ‘Funkmaster’ above Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousin and the rest of the Dagestani dugout when it comes to wrestling.

“I want to also say thank you especially to Aljamain Sterling. I think Aljamain Sterling is so much better than Umar Nurmagomedov in wrestling,” Merab Dvalishvili stated in the post-fight press conference. “Aljamain Sterling’s wrestling is on another level… I think Aljamain Sterling can beat all Nurmagomedovs together.” It remains to be seen how Umar reacts to this statement, but in the meantime, let’s jump over to the next big story.

Dana White wants to sign former Bellator fighter

Perennial featherweight contender Aaron Pico recently parted ways with the PFL after a failed contract negotiation process. Even Patricio Pitbull parted ways regarding similar issues and Dana White was asked about his thoughts on bringing them in. While the UFC CEO wasn’t very sure about Pitbull, he did mention Pico, expressing interest in signing him to a UFC contract.

While speaking about Patricio Pitbull, Dana White said, “I’ll talk to the boys [UFC execs] about that one.” But he seemed certain about Aaron Pico, claiming, “I definitely know that the boys are interested in him.” It might be a new chapter for Pico, who’s only 28 years old, and has an impressive 13-wins-and-4-losses record to his name. But it could take time for the official announcement given that the UFC is yet to connect with the featherweight fighter. Before we get any word on that, here’s the last story of this roundup edition.

Alex Pereira is looking forward to fighting Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev finally has his title long-awaited title shot as Dana White and Co. announced that he’ll be getting a crack at Alex Pereira‘s light heavyweight title. ‘Poatan’ had previously expressed disinterest in taking on the Russian wrestling expert and even went on to claim on social media that Ankalaev wasn’t the next in line before the fight was announced. Understandably, it triggered the now-title contender.

But in the wake of their fight being announced as the headliner for UFC 313, Alex Pereira surprisingly told Magomed Ankalaev that he’s eager to get inside the Octagon and butt heads with him. “See you soon Ankalaev,” said Pereira on X as he warned Ankalaev with just a 4-word message. What do you think? Will ‘Poatan’ drop his title to his Russian counterpart?

What do you think of Merab Dvalishvili’s claim of Aljamain Sterling’s wrestling being better than the Nurmagomedovs? Does Magomed Ankalaev deserve the next shot against Alex Pereira? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.