Merab Dvalishvili opened up about his surprising upset victory over Henry Cejudo at RAF Georgia. ‘The Machine’ rallied from a deficit and secured a win over Cejudo, who has a far superior wrestling resume.
Dvalishvili, a Stake Ambassador, received a hero’s homecoming at RAF Georgia last July. The event took place at Tbilisi Arena in Tbilisi, Georgia. It was a successful event for the promotion, and drew more than 8,000 fans.
The attendance figure was largely due to Dvalishvili being a Georgian MMA star returning to his home nation. However, the crowd also showed the growing interest in freestyle wrestling across international markets.
RAF Georgia showed that anything can happen on the wrestling mat, when Dvalishvili defeated Cejudo. ‘Triple C’ won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic gold and entered the matchup with far more wrestling experience.
Dvalishvili has shown excellent wrestling skills throughout his MMA career. However, RAF uses freestyle wrestling rules. As a result, he needed to learn the scoring system and adjust to the rules.
‘The Machine’ also had limited experience competing under them. The lack of experience put him at a clear disadvantage.
Merab Dvalishvili Reveals What His Win Over Henry Cejudo at RAF Georgia Meant to Him
Merab Dvalishvili also revealed what his win over Henry Cejudo at RAF Georgia meant to him. The former bantamweight champion had already faced each other in the UFC, with Dvalishvili earning a dominant unanimous decision victory.
Dvalishvili explained the significance of his win over Cejudo at RAF, calling it an emotional victory. The UFC have yet to hold an event in Georgia, but RAF gave him the chance to compete in front of his home crowd. As a result, the former bantamweight champion looks back on the experience fondly and considers it a dream come true.
“That was amazing. I haven’t fought in Georgia in the last 15 years,” Dvalishvili exclusively told Heavy Sports via Stake.
“For me to go and have the entire home crowd supporting me was a highlight. It was such a unique moment and it’s one of the best memories in my career.”
The victory moved Dvalishvili to 2-0 against Cejudo, with one win in MMA and another win in freestyle wrestling, ‘Triple C’s specialty.
RAF later booked a rematch for its one-year anniversary event, RAF 12. They competed for the inaugural RAF crossover lightweight championship.
Cejudo won the rematch with a dominant tech fall victory, avenging his earlier loss.
Dvalishvili Has Been Active in Freestyle Wrestling
While Dvalishvili awaited his bantamweight title fight against Petr Yan to be booked, he stayed active in freestyle wrestling.
Dvalishvili competed for RAF three times. He split his two matches against Cejudo and defeated former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in his RAF debut.
‘The Machine’ currently holds a 2-1 record with the promotion. If Dvalishvili decides to continue competing in RAF, several appealing matchups could await him.
Dvalishvili’s next move may depend on whether he regains the bantamweight championship at UFC 333. If ‘The Machine wins, he may choose to avoid competing in RAF and focus on a quicker turnaround in the UFC.
Merab Dvalishvili Reflects on Upset Victory Over Henry Cejudo at RAF Georgia