[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] is confident in [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s grappling heading into UFC 310.
Elite grapplers Sterling (24-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) and Movsar Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) square off in Saturday’s prelims (pay-per-view, ESPN 2, ESPN+) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
UFC bantamweight champion Dvalishvili has been helping his good friend and training partner prep for Evloev, and he likes what he sees out of “The Funkmaster.”
Dvalishvili himself is known for his grappling and relentless pace, which saw him attempt a UFC-record 49 takedowns against Petr Yan, and five takedowns landed on Olympic gold medalist wrestler Henry Cejudo at UFC 298.
“Aljo feels really strong,” Dvalishvili said on Sterling’s YouTube channel. “Now he did a bunch of rounds of jiu-jitsu too. He did two rounds with me. I couldn’t do anything. He was on top of me, controlled me, smashed me. That means that Aljo is going to smash his opponent – even though his opponent is really good.
“I have so much respect for Movsar Evloev, but that’s how the fight game is. The stronger guy wins. I’m very comfortable with Aljo because he’s focused and he feels really strong.”
According to DraftKings, former UFC bantamweight champion Sterling is a +210 underdog against undefeated Evloev, who’s a -258 favorite.
“This is a big test, I’m not leaving any stones unturned,” Sterling said. “Go out there and get it as best as I can, and we’re going to shock the world baby. That 0 has got to go.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.