The former UFC Bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo will face off against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 on February 17 in California. Henry retired from the sport in 2020 but decided to make a comeback this year and fought Aljamain Sterling for the Bantamweight championship. He suffered a loss via split decision. This was Cejudo’s first bout in three years after retiring.
Dvalishvili is on a nine-fight win streak
Merab Dvalishvili, on the other hand, is riding a nine-fight win streak and has been in exceptional form. This is the second-longest win streak in the bantamweight division’s history. “The Machine” holds the record for most takedowns in the division’s history. Merab’s most recent fight in the UFC octagon was in March, when he defeated Petr Yan via unanimous decision. Despite his impressive performance, the UFC chose Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera for the title fight scheduled for UFC 299 on March 9, 2024.
The fighters are yet to receive official contract
“Triple C” announced his fight with Dvalishvili on his YouTube channel and told the viewers about his game plans. He said that this bout will decide who will actually fight the winner of Chito Vera vs. Sean O’Malley. Henry is excited for his fight and said, “I’m not sure if we’re going to co-headline this fight with Ilya Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski, but either way guys, the fight is definitely going to be bonkers.”
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Cejudo revealed that he has a training partner who is Merab’s size and has trained with him before. He also believed that training camp would be difficult due to his opponent’s pressure and shoot style. According to a report, there is currently no signed agreement and neither side has received an official fight contract. However, both sides have verbally agreed to the fight.
Merab acknowledged the promotion
The Georgian fighter has acknowledged the UFC for providing him with another challenge in the form of Henry Cejudo. Merab believes that he already deserves a title shot and wants the winner of Chito Vera vs. Sean O’Malley. But Vera holds a unique position as the only fighter to defeat “Sugar,” and their rivalry holds significant weight. Vera defeated Sean at UFC 252 in the first round via TKO, which was very impressive.
