Merab Dvalishvili defeated Henry Cejudo via a comfortable unanimous decision at UFC 298 to become the virtual number one title contender for the bantamweight title. Dvalishvili, the #2 ranked bantamweight was on a nine-fight streak coming into the fight, while his opponent, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo had lost his last fight to then-champion and Dvalishvili’s teammate Aljamain Sterling at their UFC 288 clash last year.

Their fight was expected to be a grappling masterclass given both men’s wrestling bases, and it did not disappoint, with plenty of action and memorable moments during the fight, including a slam and some hard shots that downed both fighters.

Merab Dvalishvili dominates second, third rounds

The first round was a good one for Cejudo and saw him drop Dvalishvili with a left hook and maintain top position while on the ground, while the latter managed a single-leg takedown, which he was unable to take advantage of.

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The second round was a better one for Dvalishvili, as he downed ‘Triple C’ with a sharp combo, and attempted an unsuccessful deep guillotine choke on the tired Cejudo towards the end of the round. The round also saw the two men throw some wild haymakers, which occasionally found their target. Dvalishvili, however, clearly dominated on the ground.

The third round, however, firmly belonged to Dvalishvili. ‘The Machine’ was able to lift the former Olympic gold medalist and slam him, wearing down Cejudo. Dvalishvili ended the fight having commanded both departments, out-striking Cejudo 50-14 in terms of significant strikes and dominated on the ground in the latter two rounds.

It was not a surprise, therefore, to see Merab, who clearly won rounds two and three be awarded a 29-28 decision by all three judges, even as questions were being raised if Cejudo broke his left arm during the fight. Henry Cejudo had, of course, promised to retire if he lost to the Georgian. Whether or not he comes through on the promise remains to be seen, even as speculations rise after his emotional reaction to the loss. And the call-outs for Dvalishvili have already commenced.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin calls out Merab Dvalishvili

After his victory, Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousin and undefeated UFC bantamweight, Umar Nurmagomedov congratulated Merab Dvalishvili on his victory and expressed expectancy that they would fight by the end of the year.

And by that time Merab Dvalishvili may have become the new UFC bantamweight champion. Now, all eyes are on the UFC 299 clash between bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera next month. After this victory, Dvalishvili looks like the strongest contender to fight for the title against the winner of the UFC 299 main event next.

What did you think about Merab Dvalishvili vs.Henry Cejudo?

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