Merab Dvalishvili opened up about his loss to Henry Cejudo at RAF 12 last Saturday. Cejudo defeated Dvalishvili in 36 seconds to become the inaugural RAF crossover lightweight champion. He took the loss well and did not dwell on being defeated in dominant fashion.
Dvalishvili and Cejudo have competed against each other in MMA and freestyle wrestling, with Dvalishvili getting his hand raised in both. ‘The Machine’ winning was a surprise, particularly in freestyle wrestling, where ‘Triple C’ is an Olympic gold medalist.
Because of the significant gap in experience and level of competition, there is no shame in Dvalishvili coming up short at RAF 12. Dvalishvili already pulled off a shocking upset at RAF Georgia. As a result, Cejudo had a lot more pressure to win their rematch.
Merab Dvalishvili Breaks Silence on RAF 12 Loss to Henry Cejudo
Merab Dvalishvili opened up about his loss to Henry Cejudo at RAF 12. He revealed that Cejudo initially proposed the rematch after losing at RAF Georgia.
Dvalishvili admitted that his focus has been on Petr Yan after their bantamweight title fight was announced for UFC 332. Still, he accepted Cejudo’s challenge. Despite the loss, ‘The Machine’ acknowledged the risks associated with facing a competitor of ‘Triple C’s caliber.
Dvalishvili pointed out that Cejudo’s preparation was much different from his own because ‘Triple C’ no longer competes in MMA.
“I know it was a risk when I wrestled [Cejudo] the first time and especially it was risky when I beat him in wrestling. And now, he was the one who called me and asked for this wrestling match. It was weird but I know he was preparing something,” Dvalishvili told The Ariel Helwani Show. “I knew he was going to study me, and I don’t have time to really train for wrestling like this. I’m focused for my fight always.”
Now that Dvalishvili and Cejudo each have a win in wrestling, RAF can always revisit the matchup by booking a trilogy.
Dvalishvili Reveals How He Trains for RAF Wrestling Matches
Dvalishvili also revealed how he trains for RAF wrestling matches, particularly when he is not training for a UFC fight.
The former UFC bantamweight champion devotes his second training session to his RAF matches, allowing him to focus solely on wrestling. However, this RAF camp was different as he had a date confirmed for his trilogy bout against Yan.
“Usually what I do when I have a wrestling match in RAF, I usually prepare for about a week before, as a second training. Maybe go over little details,” Dvalishvili told The Ariel Helwani Show. “But yeah, I lost this match [against Cejudo]. I was smiling. If you saw me, I was happy for him, I was happy for his family, he deserved it. He beat me.”
He continued:
“I’m not mad, it’s a sport. And the sport has a risk. You can win or lose, and as long as I can lose to a respectful opponent, I’m fine,” Dvalishvili said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try my best. I always will try my best and then I will not regret it.”
Merab Dvalishvili Breaks Silence After RAF 12 Loss to Henry Cejudo