Dana White is clearly displeased by the fact that Sterling and Merab have expressed their reluctance to face each other in a fight. In various press conferences, he has repeatedly expressed his disapproval when fighters refuse to compete against one another. Aljermain Sterling has mentioned his desire to move up to the 145lbs weight class after defeating O'Malley. When asked about Aljo's plans to move up in weight, Dana showed little reaction and dismissed the question. I believe Dana will not allow Aljermain Sterling to fight Volkanovski without relinquishing his bantamweight belt, similar to what happened with Aldo and Pettis in the past. And to be honest, I don't even think they will grant him a title shot at 145lbs. The person who will likely face the most consequences from this situation is Merab. Aljermain isn’t relinquishing his belt and moving up to featherweight without a guaranteed title shot. And if Merab doesn’t want to fight him, he will likely be matched up against unranked opponents as a way to make a point. I anticipate that this situation will not have a favorable outcome.