Merab Dvalishvili has his sights set on a future challenge, and it's none other than Henry Cejudo, the former two-division UFC Champion. Coming out of a three-year retirement, Cejudo is desperate to reclaim his title, and Dvalishvili is ready to face him head on.
Despite Cejudo's determination to make another run at the title in 2023, he was unable to secure the win against then-champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. The 37-year-old Olympian doesn't have much left to achieve in his career, but there's one feat that remains elusive - becoming a two-time champion at bantamweight.
As a result, Cejudo has confirmed his plans to retire if he suffers a loss to his next opponent, Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili, also known as 'The Machine', is familiar with this high-stakes scenario. He's fought another former UFC Champion, Jose Aldo, who was on a three-fight win streak before facing him.
"If he loses against me, of course he's going to retire," Dvalishvili stated at the UFC 298 media day. "He knows he has to beat me, otherwise, he’s done. He’s fighting to beat me and he wants the belt."
Dvalishvili's bout with Aldo at UFC 278 ended with the former securing a decision win, marking the end of Aldo's legendary career. The Georgian phenom is fully aware that Aldo is no match for Cejudo when it comes to wrestling, but that doesn't deter him. He acknowledges that Cejudo is the superior wrestler, but believes he can still overcome him at UFC 298.
"He is better wrestler than me. He is Olympic gold [medalist]. I'm sure if [it was] wrestling, he will beat me in wrestling rules, but in MMA, I think I will do very well against him because it's MMA. It's a fight, it's a totally different game and I'm focused on win the fight."
This highly-anticipated matchup between Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili holds considerable weight in the bantamweight title picture. A win could potentially land one of them a shot against the winner of the UFC Champ Sean O'Malley vs. Chito Vera fight at UFC 299. The stakes are high, and Dvalishvili is ready to rise to the occasion.
