Merab Dvalishvili: I was responding to Petr because he was saying nasty things about Sterling

On August 21, Georgian fighter Merab Dvalishvili will have the main fight of his career against the legendary Brazilian José Aldo, who has been the dominant featherweight champion for many years. The winner of this bout can fight for the UFC title. In a recent interview, Dvalishvili explained his negative attitude towards Petr Jan and talked about his reluctance to fight his friend Aljamain Sterling, his reckless diving into an ice hole, and a successful surge of Georgian fighters in the UFC.

- Is fighting José Aldo something you've been dreaming about for years?

- Yeah, it's the biggest fight of my career. To be honest, I didn't even dream of it because it's a really huge fight for me, and José is a real legend. He has a big name, but I have a seven-fight winning streak. The UFC gave me this chance, I'm ready for it, and I think I deserve it.

- In your last fight, you made Brazilian Marlon Moraes retire. Now, will you be able to make José Aldo retire as well?

- I just want to put on a good fight, fight hard and show people a good performance. I realize I'm fighting a legend, which will be a tough battle. I will try to do my best in this bout, have fun and win.

- After defeating José Aldo, will you be given a title fight?

- I think the winner of that fight will go for the title, but my brother Aljamain Sterling is the champion now, and I don't want to fight him, so I plan to challenge myself elsewhere.

- Accordingly, your decision will depend on the fight between Sterling and Dillashaw. What is your prediction for this fight?

- Aljo will beat him. I believe in it because Aljo is a strong and talented athlete. His wrestling and striking techniques are very good, and I don't think anyone can stop him. Aljo will beat him, and it's not because I'm his friend. It's because I believe it.

- You criticized the former champion Petr Jan many times. Why did you do that? Did you have some personal conflict?

- I have no conflict with him. I always tell the truth, what I think. I consider him a good fighter and a good family man. But what he said about Aljo is wrong. We all know Sterling deserved a title fight since long ago, he's been number one in this weight division for a long time. He beat Cory Sandhagen and deserved a title fight right after Henry Sejudo retired, but they gave the title fight to Petr instead of him. That's what I've always said. Petr is a good fighter, but he was wrong in the first fight with Sterling.

- How?

- He was really winning the fight, but he made a stupid move like that knee kick and had a weird reaction after that, like "I didn't know anything" or "Aljamain is a wimp." But this is MMA, there are rules here. Well, let me hit him first then, and after that we'll continue the fight. Of course, these kinds of blows have an effect. This is sport, and Aljamain Sterling eventually agreed to give him a rematch. But a lot of people wrote to Aljamain and his family afterwards, calling him a clown and sending all sorts of funny emoji. They were bullying Aljamain and enjoying it, so I reacted. If you're the champion, you should know the rules, and if you don't know the rules, then calm down and fight, but don't talk like that. The second fight showed everything, and he lost. I understand he's a fighter, he's a family man. I respect that, but when he talks nonsense, I'll respond. But now I don't care about him. He's not my friend, unlike Aljamain Sterling, and he doesn't care about me either. But he said mean things about me and my brother Aljo. Now I don't care about him.

- But you were the only famous fighter who predicted Sterling's victory in his second fight with Petr Jan. Why were you so confident in your friend?

- Because I always trained alongside him, and of course, I knew how good my friend was. I knew what he could do, and so I always believed in him. It's friendship, it's team unity, and that's what we have to do.

- You became famous on social media after your jump into the ice hole. How did the idea come to you, and how do you view the experience for yourself?

- I made a stupid mistake. I was running outside because my gym was closed. I wanted to jump in the cold water but didn't realize the ice hole was frozen. There was snow on top, but I thought it had just poured. I should have checked first, and I didn't. I hurt my hand, but since I originally filmed the whole process on video, I decided to post the video anyway. It was a stupid mistake, but I didn't hide it.

- What do you think about a possible fight with Petr Jan? If you beat José Aldo and he beats Sean O'Malley would that be possible?

- I don't think so.

- Why not?

- Because I have a lot of other plans. Why do I have to fight Petr Jan? Because he fights a top-15 fighter, Sean O'Malley? Right now, I'm fighting José Aldo, who's on a three-fight winning streak. I'm on a seven-fight winning streak. Why should I face him after beating number 14 in the rankings? I shouldn't be fighting Petr Jan. I have to fight someone more important.

- What made you move to the United States ten years ago? Were you already dreaming of a career in the UFC at that time?

- Yes, when I moved to the United States, I had already dreamed of a career in the UFC, but it was so hard to make it a reality. The first two years of my career were very difficult for me. I didn't have the opportunity to train with a good team, it was also hard for me to get fights. Slowly I began to fight in local tournaments with almost no money. It was hard, but in the end I signed up for the UFC. It was a tough period in my life. I had to work in construction, but eventually, I succeeded and can now do what I want.

- How painful was it for you to suffer defeats early in your professional career and your career in the UFC?

- Of course it was hard, but I'm a pro and a warrior. It's what I live for and I'm looking ahead now. Those fights were very close, but the judges made that decision. It is ok.

- You have a lot in common with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Not only because of your trademark papakha hats but also your fighting style when you take your rivals to the ground and beat them up there. How do you feel about comparisons with Khabib?

- Of course, Khabib is much better than me, but we have a similar style. Everybody has their own style, and that's mine. I like to move people to the ground and control them from above. It's easier to win by decision like that.

- Khabib got his hat from his grandfather. Does your hat have a special history?

- Yes, we Caucasian people have such a tradition. Of course, my grandfather and the older people use this headdress. We lived in the mountains, shepherded animals, and spent a lot of time in the cold air, so we wore such hats. It's our Caucasian historical tradition. I just want to show people where I'm from and what our traditions are. I'm a Caucasian, not a native of the Soviet Union. My country, Georgia, is still fighting to be part of Europe, not the Soviet Union. We want to live in a democracy, we don't want to go back, and we want to keep our traditions. We are tough people who respect our traditions. That's what I want to show.

- There's a very powerful wave of Georgian fighters in the UFC right now. How do you explain their resounding successes?

- We are warriors, tough people. We have always defended our territory against attacks from other big countries, and we are used to fighting, so the martial spirit has become part of our soul and mentality. That explains why we have such good fighters.

- What do you think about the upcoming fights between Giga Chikadze and Roman Dolidze?

- I only expect them to win. Giga Chikadze will fight a very strong opponent, Sodiq Yusuff, but he's ready to win because he's a smart fighter and trains hard. Roman Dolidze will also have a good fight, and he should win. Also, Ilia Topuria will fight Edson Barboza, and I believe he will beat him ahead of time.

Source: mma.metaratings