Henry Cejudo secured a dominant technical fall victory over Merab Dvalishvili in the RAF 12 main event. With the win, Cejudo captured the inaugural RAF lightweight crossover championship, adding more gold to his collection.
Cejudo entered the matchup with plenty of pressure. Not only did Dvalishvili have a win over him in MMA, but he also beaten ‘Triple C’ in his own sport. Dvalishvili pulled off a massive upset at RAF Georgia, rallying from an 8-0 deficit to defeat the 2008 Olympic gold medalist.
Cejudo dominated the match. He scored a four-point takedown before pinning Dvalishvili just 36 seconds into the match. ‘The Machine’ congratulated ‘Triple C’ for his victory. He also thanked RAF for giving him a chance to stay active ahead of his bantamweight title fight with Petr Yan.
Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili React to RAF 12 Main Event
Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili reacted to what transpired during their main event matchup at RAF 12.
Cejudo admitted that his loss to Dvalishvili at RAF Georgia was a humbling experience ahead of their rematch. After avenging that loss, ‘Triple C’ revealed that he changed his training. He also broke down the final exchange, in which he ultimately scored the fastest technical fall in RAF history.
“One hundred percent [I’m feeling good right now]. Dude, Merab is a machine. And a little bit of why I lost even the first time is Chael, I’ve been fighting for 13 years on my feet. And, I took the [loss] from him,” Cejudo told Chael Sonnen during his post-match interview. “This time around, I knew I had to get out there. I went out to Upstate New York, over there at Mule Fitness, and I was able to get this victory.”
He continued:
“[Dvalishvili] wasn’t necessarily scrambling, so once I saw the position, I knew I had to take over his back and then obviously I got the pin.”
Dvalishvili expressed interest in a trilogy matchup and praised Cejudo for his performance.
“Absolutely [I would be interested in another rematch], I like challenges. That’s why I took this match. Henry Cejudo was who called me out and I said yes even though I have a fight coming up. But, no excuse, he’s an Olympic champion for a reason. He beat me today and let’s go for a trilogy for wrestling,” Dvalishvili told Sonnen during his post-match interview.
Dvalishvili also said he believes the result will be different if they compete again.
“That’s wrestling. If we go 10 times, we will have 10 different results. It’s not a fight,” he said. “Fight, I am the king. But in wrestling, today [Cejudo] is the king.”
Cejudo Calls Out Former UFC Champion After Dominant Victory
It appears as though Cejudo plans to stay busy in RAF. After his dominant victory over Merab Dvalishvili at RAF 12, Cejudo called out Cody Garbrandt.
“Cody Garbrandt, you’re next [expletive],” Cejudo said during his post-match interview with Chael Sonnen at RAF 12.
Garbrandt, a former UFC bantamweight champion, also has a wrestling background, making him a natural fit for RAF’s crossover division.
Now that Cejudo is the RAF lightweight crossover champion, he will have plenty of potential opponents. His Olympic background and wrestling experience could make him a tough matchup for any current or former MMA star.
Henry Cejudo Earns Dominant Victory Over Merab Dvalishvili at RAF 12