Merab Dvalishili may not come from a wrestling background but he just beat an Olympic champion after pulling off a miraculous comeback to beat Henry Cejudo in the RAF Georgia main event.
Early in the match it appeared Dvalishvili might not even make it to the second period after Cejudo scored a takedown and with a couple of turns, he went up 8-0 in a hurry. But Dvalishvili was undeterred and he not only survived but he started attacking with relentless aggression.
That led to multiple takedowns as
Dvalishvili was just outworking Cejudo on the mats before he finally went up by a score of 11-8 as the final horn sounded to end the match. It was a remarkable comeback and a stunning performance from the former UFC champion as he beat Cejudo in only his second freestyle match since joining the RAF roster.
“I’m so happy,” Dvalishvili said after his win. “I make my people proud. Thank god I win tonight … Henry’s an Olympic champion. I think next match I can do with him in judo.
“Next, you won’t be surprised, I love UFC, I love fighting. Petr Yan, come back bro. What the heck? There’s something wrong with him.”
Right at the start, Dvalishvili received a warning for slapping at Cejudo’s head as they jockeyed for position. A moment later, Cejudo shot in quick for a takedown and he immediately grabbed the gut wrench and started turning Dvalishvili to rack up even more points.
Down 7-0 in the first period, Dvalishvili had a lot of work to do and then he lost another point before finally scoring a takedown of his own for his first two points to get on the board.
The match restarted with Dvalishvili going for another pair of takedowns but Cejudo blocked his efforts, although the referee then put him on the shot clock for a lack of activity. Another single leg takedown for Dvalishvili gave him two more points and it was clear that Cejudo was slowing down dramatically compared to the first period.
With two minutes remaining, Dvalishvili was on the attack and he put Cejudo on his back for a brilliant four-point move to finally take the lead. The Georgian crowd was erupting as Dvalishvili exploded for another takedown to go up 11-8 with Cejudo in survival mode.
Dvalishvili reversed a late takedown attempt from Cejudo to end the match as he jumped up from the mat and started celebrating with the home crowd. Already with a win over Cejudo in the UFC, Dvalishvili pulled off a massive upset with his victory over Cejudo on Saturday.
Now Dvalishvili has to play the waiting game as he continues hoping that reigning UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan gets healthy so they can book their long awaited trilogy before the end of 2026.
