Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo will compete again – this time on the wrestling mat.
After Dvalishvili defeated Cejudo by unanimous decision at UFC 298 in February 2024, the pair will square off once again in the RAF08 headliner on April 18 at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia (FOX Nation).
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The matchup was announced at Saturday’s RAF06 event, where Cejudo returned to wrestling for the first time since retiring from MMA competition following his UFC 323 loss to Payton Talbott in December.
Cejudo defeated UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber by 11-0 technical fall in their RAF06 main event, and instantly afterward Cejudo called out “The Machine,” who was in attendance and promptly stepped up and agreed to the match.
RAF announced the signing of Dvalishvili in February, but no opponent was revealed. It’s clear now what the promotion was waiting on, and now Cejudo has held up his end of the bargain.
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Dvalishvili will use the match as a stay-busy activity while he waits for confirmation of his trilogy bout with UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan, who took the belt from him at UFC 323 and ended his 135-pound reign after three defenses.
No other matchups for RAF08 have been confirmed at this time.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo headlines RAF08 in Philadelphia
