Aljamain Sterling on Merab, O’Malley, and his next fight: “I’m ready to go”
Sterling provides an inside look at the Merab Dvalishvili-Sean O’Malley rematch
The MMA Notebook runs every Friday.
In this edition:
Aljamain Sterling on Dvalishvili-O’Malley II & his future in the cage
Kayla Harrison seeks career-defining victory in UFC
Very quietly, Patchy Mix makes Octagon debut
UFC 316 picks
Aljamain Sterling on his warmup with Merab Dvalishvili: “That’s our pre-fight ritual”
Aljamain Sterling will be in Merab Dvalishvili’s corner tomorrow at UFC 316.
Dvalishvili headlines the card, defending the UFC bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley, who happens to be the man he defeated for the belt this past September. O’Malley, of course, dethroned Sterling in the summer of 2023.
“Merab is motivated,” said Sterling, who has been part of Dvalishvili’s fight camp. “That’s not always easy to do after you’ve beat a guy before. You can see the passion in his training, the way he spars. You see it in his willingness to keep learning and the way he adds tools to his game. I’m really excited to see how he looks. Based off what I’ve seen in the gym, I hope it’s another dominant performance.”
This marks Dvalishvili’s second title defense. He defeated previously undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov in January, and now has the rematch with O’Malley–who has yet to fight since dropping the belt last September.
Dvalishvili dominated that bout against O’Malley, winning by unanimous decision. He landed more significant strikes (82-47) and takedowns (6-0), as well as amassed more control time (10:03-none). Despite O’Malley making claims that he should have won, Sterling believes that the judges (who ruled it 49-46, 48-48, and 48-47 in Dvalishvili’s favor) scored it correctly.
“I don’t know if Sean really believes the shit he says,” said Sterling. “Sometimes, I wonder if he’s just putting on a show. We all watched the same fight. I’m not sure there’s many people out there that can say that with a straight face.”
In preparation for the rematch, O’Malley recreated a fight atmosphere in his gym. That included a walkout from the locker room, the fight, and noise from the crowd.
“I get that side of it and the mental preparation that goes into it,” said Sterling. “I know a few people who do that, like Henry Cejudo. We’ll find out on fight night if it helps. At the end of the day, it comes down to your training and preparation.
“It’s a fight, anything can happen. Sean is looking for that one big shot. If he’s being reserved, I can’t see him winning a decision. So I see him going for broke trying to land that big shot.”
Turning 36 this summer, Sterling is approaching the end of his career. But he isn’t done yet. The former bantamweight champion remains hungry to create another enduring chapter in his career–this time as featherweight champ.
Before Sterling fights for the title, he needs to amass a winning streak. He hasn’t fought since losing to Movsar Evloev in December, and he is beginning to get restless.
“I’ve been waiting for a while now,” said Sterling. “That’s really all I can say. I’m ready to go. And being in Merab’s training camp is basically being in camp yourself.”
The goal for Sterling is the belt. If he has it his way, he would get to challenge Alexander Volkanovski in a title match.
“That would be crazy,” said Sterling. “One of the last things I would like to accomplish is win another UFC title. That would make everything I’ve done even more special.”
Though Sterling does not have an announced fight yet, he does have some physicality in his future. He’ll engage in a unique pre-fight tradition with Dvalishvili on fight night, as their pre-fight locker room warmup is effectively a fight before the fight.
“I’m preparing myself for it,” said Sterling. “That’s our pre-fight ritual. We’ll make sure he’s fired up and ready to go.”
Kayla Harrison seeks UFC gold
Kayla Harrison already fought her toughest battle.
And it wasn’t when she lost her first fight in the cage.
“My father committed suicide,” Harrison told me fourteen months ago ahead of her UFC debut. “My sister has struggled with addiction. I lost the innocence of my childhood. I’ve already been through the worst of the worst. Nothing in that cage can break me.”
Harrison’s story is one of resilience and perseverance. She was sexually abused by her coach as a teenager, then found a new home with coaches that changed her life in Boston. She was written off when she lost to Larissa Pacheco in the PFL, then rattled off three wins in a row–two of which in the UFC.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Harrison (18-1) now has her sights on the UFC women’s bantamweight title. She has a shot at it tomorrow against reigning champ Julianna Peña, who is an exceptionally tough opponent. Despite the massive odds in Harrison’s favor, she knows that Peña presents a genuine threat.
Peña (12-5) won the belt in October, defeating Raquel Pennington in an uninspiring fight–but don’t let that fool you. She is tough as nails, and her path to victory here is clear. If Peña turns this into a slugfest, Harrison will find herself in a very dangerous predicament.
Between this title fight and the return of Amanda Nunes looming, it feels like a much-needed shot of adrenaline in the women’s bantamweight division. That has been sorely missed since Nunes retired two years ago. If Harrison were to win the title and then successfully defend it against Nunes, especially after her success in the Olympics and in the PFL, she would forever carve out a place for herself as one of the sport’s all-time greats. But she cannot get ahead of herself, as all that is moot unless she defeats Peña.
Only one victory away from the UFC title, Harrison has already defied the odds. But she is still in pursuit of a career-defining victory, and the opportunity to seize that is directly in front of her at UFC 316.
Another world champion fighting on the 316 card
Patchy Mix makes his UFC debut tomorrow.
Last seen defending the Bellator bantamweight title, Mix parted ways with the PFL last month. A day after his release was official, Mix was announced for UFC 316, where he will step into the Octagon against Mario Bautista.
Very quietly, Mix (20-1) made a claim for himself as one of the top bantamweights in the world. But since it was outside the walls of the UFC, there were always questions attached to it. Now he gets to prove himself in a short-notice fight against Bautista, filling in for Chito Vera.
Riding a seven-fight win streak, Mix has been plagued by inactivity–last fighting in May of 2024, which resulted in a difficult split decision win against Magomed Magomedov. That is worrisome because the skill level between Magomedov and Bautista is jarring, adding to the complexity of this debut for Mix. Bautista (15-2) has also won seven in a row, including a particularly impressive victory in October against José Aldo. This is no cakewalk of an introduction, as Mix will be immediately tested.
We’ll get our first glimpse at whether Mix can flourish in the UFC. With a victory, Mix will take Bautista’s top ten spot in the rankings–or we’ll witness one of Bellator’s studs be overwhelmed by someone who isn’t even part of the UFC’s title picture. It makes for an extremely compelling bout, adding another level of intrigue to the 316 fight card.
The Pick ‘Em Section
UFC 316 bantamweight title bout: Merab Dvalishvili (c) vs. Sean O’Malley
Pick: Merab Dvalishvili
UFC 316 women’s bantamweight title bout: Julianna Peña (c) vs. Kayla Harrison
Pick: Kayla Harrison
UFC 316 middleweight bout: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer
Pick: Joe Pyfer
UFC 316 bantamweight bout: Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix
Pick: Patchy Mix
UFC 316 welterweight bout: Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland
Pick: Kevin Holland
UFC 316 heavyweight bout: Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Pick: Serghei Spivac
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