Ray Longo proud that Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling put friendship first, didn’t ‘sell out for $100,000’

farah hannoun

Wed, Feb 21, 2024, 2:40 p.m.·12 min read

Ray Longo praised his star students, Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, for never fighting each other.

When Sterling was bantamweight champion, streaking contender Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) refused to fight his teammate for the title, which UFC CEO Dana White heavily criticized.

But after Sterling lost his bantamweight title and moved up to featherweight, the door opened for Dvalishvili, who was declared No. 1 contender for his impressive win over Henry Cejudo this past Saturday at UFC 298.

“To me, this is going to go down as one of the greatest human interest stories in MMA,” Longo said in a recent episode of the “Anik & Florian” podcast. “How these two guys formed a brotherhood and they didn’t succumb to all the bullsh*t. They didn’t sell out for $100,000.

“They put their friendship first and now everything’s working out, and they had to take a lot of sh*t for it. Aljo got tortured over it. Merab got tortured. Whether they want to say it or not, actions speak louder than words. We don’t have to hear it. We could see it. Aljo held to his word. He didn’t have to move up. He wanted to move up. He wants to see Merab get that shot.”

Sterling makes his 145-pound debut against perennial contender Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 on April 13. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili awaits the winner of the bantamweight title fight between champion Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera, which headlines UFC 299 on March 9 in Miami.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

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Merab Dvalishvili

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UFC 298 - Merab vs Cejudo

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Henry Cejudo UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Henry Cejudo UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Henry Cejudo UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Henry Cejudo UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Henry Cejudo UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Merab Dvalishvili UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Merab Dvalishvili UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Merab Dvalishvili UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Merab Dvalishvili UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Merab Dv alishvili vs Henry Cejudo

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Merab Dvalishvili UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins

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MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo pins Merab Dvalishvili to the mat during UFC…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo pins Merab Dvalishvili to the mat during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili lands a hit against Henry Cejudo during UFC…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili lands a hit against Henry Cejudo during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili lands a hit against Henry Cejudo during UFC…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili lands a hit against Henry Cejudo during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

image

gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo pins Merab Dvalishvili to the mat during UFC…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo pins Merab Dvalishvili to the mat during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

image

gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo applies a hold against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo applies a hold against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in with a hit against Merab Dvalishvili…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in with a hit against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili moves in with a hit against Henry Cejudo…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili moves in with a hit against Henry Cejudo during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo moves in against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili moves in with a hit against Henry Cejudo…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili moves in with a hit against Henry Cejudo during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili moves in against Henry Cejudo during UFC 298…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili moves in against Henry Cejudo during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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gallery

MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo reacts following his loss against Merab Dvalishvili during…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo reacts following his loss against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili celebrates his victory against Henry Cejudo during UFC…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili celebrates his victory against Henry Cejudo during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo reacts during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo reacts during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo, UFC 298

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MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili celebrates his victory against Henry Cejudo during UFC…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Merab Dvalishvili celebrates his victory against Henry Cejudo during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 298-Dvalishvili vs Cejudo

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo reacts following his loss against Merab Dvalishvili during…

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Henry Cejudo reacts following his loss against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo, UFC 298 Scorecard

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Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie

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