Henry Cejudo secured a dominant victory over Merab Dvalishvili in their wrestling rematch. While Cejudo suffered a dramatic loss in their first encounter, he more than redeemed himself with his performance at RAF 12 on Saturday.
After scoring an early takedown, Cejudo capitalized immediately when Dvalishvili’s shoulders hit the mat. He quickly pinned Dvalishvili, forcing the referee to stop the match just 36 seconds into the first period.
Cejudo had been on track for a dominant win in their first match after building an 8-0 lead early on. However, the former two-division UFC champion gassed out, allowing Dvalishvili to mount a massive comeback and steal the victory. Dvalishvili found no such luck at RAF 12.
“When I’m in shape—and I think Izzy [Martinez] put it best when we were on the phone: ‘When Henry’s in shape, no one beats him… this kid is good,’” Cejudo said during the RAF 12 post-event press conference. “I took that to heart. I went out to Amsterdam, New York, and dedicated myself for a month and a half after getting beaten by Merab in Georgia. I just had to stay disciplined and committed.”
As much as the initial loss stung, Cejudo admitted he had only himself to blame. He knew he needed to make a strong statement on Saturday. He also confessed that despite winning an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling in 2008, he had put the sport on the back burner while building his UFC legacy. To show his true potential on the mat, he had to return to his roots.
“I’ve been doing this for so long. I wasn’t surprised that I lost to Merab,” Cejudo said. “For 13 years, I’ve been focused on MMA, working on my striking and overall game. If a guy has a better gas tank and knows how to push the pace, he’ll beat anyone—especially if you aren’t fully locked into wrestling. I’ve wrestled since I was a kid, but that means nothing on its own. It’s humbling, but I’m excited for the trilogy.”
Following the rematch, Dvalishvili expressed interest in a third match. However, his immediate priority is preparing for his trilogy fight against Petr Yan in the co-main event of UFC 333 in October, where he aims to reclaim the bantamweight title.
As for Cejudo, his next move involves stepping into another combat sport: a boxing match against Deen the Great under the Misfits Boxing banner.
