UFC lightweight Matt Frevola says UFC should 'respect' friendship of Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili

UFC lightweight Matt Frevola supports his teammates Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili and their refusal to fight each other. Sterling is the current UFC bantamweight champion while Dvalishvili is the No. 1 ranked fighter in the division. 

During a recent interview with Yardbarker, Frevola (10-3-1) shot down the idea of a potential title fight between his two close friends.

“Even though it’s only one of us in the cage, you need a team, you need training partners. That forms bonds, that forms brotherships and that’s more important than fighting,” Frevola said. “They said they won't fight each other and the UFC needs to respect that.”

After Dvalishvili’s impressive win over former champion Petr Yan on March 11, UFC president Dana White said it would be a “really bad idea” if he avoided a fight, even with his close friend. 

Frevola, a 32-year-old from Huntington, New York, trains alongside both Sterling and Dvalishvili under the Serra-Longo fight team. He believes there are scenarios in which the two 135-pounders can prosper without touching gloves. 

“I think there’s ways that both of their careers can move forward without them fighting each other,” Frevola said. “There’s more fights for Merab. There’ll be fights for Aljo. I just wish the promotion would respect that and get behind that.”

Sterling, who has twice defended his bantamweight title, is scheduled to co-headline UFC 288 on May 6 against former two-division champion Henry Cejudo. Should he defeat Cejundo, he would be interested in jumping up a weight class, with the featherweight championship on his mind. 

A Sterling move up to 145 pounds would make room for Dvalishvili, who’s on the cusp of title contention after winning nine consecutive fights. 

Frevola, who has won two straight fights by knockout, has his own title aspirations at 155 pounds and is scheduled to fight at UFC 288 against 14th-ranked Drew Dober.