Chito Vera believes that UFC fighters Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, who have refused to fight each other due to their friendship, will face consequences from the promotion, suggesting they move weight divisions, and predicts a future title fight for himself.
Chito Vera has expressed solidarity with the predicaments of Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili within the UFC bantamweight division. However, he also opines that the promotion would ultimately penalize the duo for their refusal to fight against each other. On The MMA Hour, Vera reflected on the situation saying, “It’s sad, man, because I get the friendship…but they should know better in this business. Merab is kind of f***** – both guys are f*****.” UFC President Dana White’s recent criticism of Dvalishvili for not agreeing to fight his friend and former teammate Sterling, lends support to Vera’s prediction. White suggested that those not willing to fight should “be somewhere else.”
Sterling and Dvalishvili’s stance appeared to work in Vera’s favor when Sterling lost the belt at UFC 292 to Sean O’Malley. O’Malley, following his victory, called for a rematch with Vera, who was responsible for his first defeat back in 2020. Even though the UFC hasn’t officially arranged the fight, Vera is confident that he’ll be vying for the title soon. He proposed that Sterling and Dvalishvili might want to consider shifting weight divisions to avoid further stagnation.
According to Vera, Sterling should move up to the 145-pound (Featherweight) division, while Dvalishvili should drop down to the 125-pound (Flyweight) division. Vera believes this will stop them from holding up the bantamweight division. Vera also spoke about Sterling’s desire to take on Alexander Volkanovski in the featherweight division and questioned Sterling’s commitment after losing “a fairly easy fight.” Vera denounced the whole situation as a “f***** s*** show” and expressed his belief that White would not overlook the situation easily.
Finally, Vera stressed on the UFC’s typical approach of sidelining players who present obstacles to the promotion’s preferred timelines or matchups. He warned that Sterling and Dvalishvili might be left to sit on the sidelines for well beyond the minimum required time. Vera claimed, “They’re going to get punished; they’re going to get put in the freezer for a while, I’m assuming.” He also underscored the necessity of putting on a resilient fight rather than just talking, criticizing Sterling for wasting too much energy on the crowd and public opinion during his match against O’Malley. Vera encouraged fighters to focus on themselves and their performance rather than public opinion.