Merab Dvalishvili Explains RAF Loss to Henry Cejudo

Merab Dvalishvili is currently preparing for his upcoming championship bout against Petr Yan. However, ahead of his all-important UFC matchup, the Georgian fighter locked horns with Henry Cejudo outside of the UFC. Having incurred a disheartening loss, the former UFC Bantamweight Champion had an honest explanation. 

Merab Dvalishvili Claims He Never Got Enough Time to Prepare

Speaking with Ariel Helwani recently, Dvalishvili opened up about his recent RAF loss against Cejudo. ‘The Machine’ added that he did not have adequate time to prepare for his RAF fight. He also elaborated that at the moment, the biggest fight of his life was that against Yan. Thus, an appearance at RAF did not hold a lot of priority for Dvalishvili. 

The former UFC champion said, “It was risky since I beat him in in wrestling... I knew he was preparing something. I know he was gonna study me, and I don't have time to really train for wrestling like this. I'm focused for my fight always.”

Dvalishvili added, “If I have a wrestling match in RAF, I usually about week, as a second training, but yeah, I lost this match. I was smiling. I was happy for him."

In their RAF 12 match, Cejudo looked the one with a clear edge. Showing an impeccable display of his wrestling prowess, Cejudo managed to pin Dvalishvili in just 36 seconds. Pumped after his win, ‘Triple C’ also teased a possible trilogy next. 

Henry Cejudo Wants Third Fight with Merab Dvalishvili

Up to now, Cejudo and Dvalishvili have crossed paths on the RAF mat twice. In their first encounter, Cejudo started well, gaining an 8-0 momentum early on. However, as the bout progressed, Dvalishvili came back from behind to stun ‘Triple C’ with an 11-8 victory. Now, having gotten his revenge, their rivalry in the RAF stands at 1-1. 

Teasing the idea of a trilogy, Cejudo told MMA Fighting, “I've been wrestling since I was a kid but that doesn't mean anything. Fighting after the bout. It's humbling but I'm excited for the trilogy."

It's quite unlikely that Cejudo will get his wish fulfilled anytime soon. If Dvalishvili manages to reclaim his bantamweight title, then he might be interested in taking his wrestling legacy forward at RAF.