Merab Dvalishvili Open to Henry Cejudo Trilogy in Abu Dhabi After Split Wrestling Series
Merab Dvalishvili is open to a third wrestling match in Abu Dhabi with Henry Cejudo.
"The Machine," speaking at media day ahead of his bantamweight title trilogy fight against Petr Yan, made this claim to Red Corner MMA prior to UFC 333. The bout will take place on Saturday at Etihad Arena. Real American Freestyle is also expanding into the same city, creating a potential window for Dvalishvili and Cejudo to settle their series.
Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo Are Tied 1-1 on the Mat
Their rivalry began in the Octagon at UFC 298 in February 2024. Merab defeated Cejudo by unanimous decision. That win came against a fighter with high achievement, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling and a former UFC double champion.
After Cejudo's UFC swansong, the pair decided to meet again but this time on the RAF mats. At RAF Georgia on July 11, Cejudo built an early 8-0 lead before Merab stormed back to win 11-8 in front of his home crowd in Tbilisi. Cejudo got his revenge at RAF 12 in Cleveland on Aug. 22, pinning Merab just in thirty-six seconds to claim the RAF lightweight Crossover championship.
Merab Dvalishvili Puts the Trilogy on the Table
Speaking ahead of UFC 333 with Red Corner MMA, Dvalishvili was asked about facing Cejudo again. Without hesitating, he said:
“Yes, why not? I’d like to have a trilogy with Henry Cejudo, and Abu Dhabi would be a great place.”
Cejudo has already expressed similar interest. After their second RAF match, he said:
“It’s humbling, but I’m excited for the trilogy.”
Talking to Red Corner MMA about his defeat to Cejudo in RAF 12, Dvalishvili admitted that Cejudo capitalised on a mistake he made and did not have enough time to prepare, as he was busy prepping for the Yan trilogy bout.
RAF Abu Dhabi is scheduled for Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena, three weeks after UFC 333, and is currently headlined by Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington.
"The Machine" is already in Abu Dhabi, and now, to make the "Triple C" vs. Dvalishvili 3 freestyle wrestling match come to fruition, all the RAF brass has to do is call Cejudo, who is also ready to hit the mats with the Georgian once more. For now, the Georgian is laser-focused on beating Yan this weekend and getting the bantamweight belt back.
