Sean O'Malley: Is Sterling Secretly Wishing for Dvalishvili's Defeat at UFC 306?

O'Malley believes it's 'definitely possible' Sterling could be secretly gunning for Dvalishvili to lose at UFC 306.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Sean O'Malley reckons 'it's definitely possible' that his UFC 306 clash with Merab Dvalishvili could drive a wedge between Dvalishvili's friendship with Aljamain Sterling.

Ex-UFC Champ Predicts Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili - ‘He’s in Trouble'

It’s widely recognized that Sterling and Dvalishvili avoided fighting each other in the bantamweight division, which delayed Dvalishvili’s chance at a title shot. Now that Sterling has moved up to featherweight, Dvalishvili can face O'Malley, where Sterling fell short at UFC 292.

Sean O'Malley: Knocking out Merab Makes Aljamain Sterling Look Bad

Speaking on his podcast on August 26, O'Malley, The MMA Guru, and coach Tim Welch all discussed whether Sterling would secretly gun for O'Malley when he fights his teammate:

"Do you think Aljo genuinely wants Merab to win?" Welch spurred the conversation.

"I see what you're saying there because it makes him [Sterling] look worse," O'Malley said. " ... So Aljo's going for me to knock him [Dvalishvili] out faster than I knocked out Aljo, is that what you're saying? It's definitely possible."

It's hard to believe that Sterling and Dvalishvili's camaraderie could be impacted by UFC 306, but a standout performance from Dvalishvili could overshadow Sterling's legacy in the bantamweight division.

UFC 306 Full Announced Card

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O'Malley will face off against Dvalishvili in the main event of Riyadh Season Noche UFC 2 (UFC 306) on September 14. The full announced card is as follows (subject to change):

• Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
• Edgar Chairez vs. Kevin Borjas
• Manuel Torres vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
• Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
• Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Qileng Aori
• Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Ode Osborne
• Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics
• Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
• Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Schevchenko
• Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili

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