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Merab Dvalishvili He has now won 10 consecutive fights, cementing his position as the next man in contention for the bantamweight title.
On the main card of UFC 298 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) faced former champion Henry Cejudo in an important fight for the 135-pound division. Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) showed flashes of what led to him capturing titles in two divisions, but was ultimately overwhelmed by the pressure presented by Dvalishvili, who claimed victory by unanimous scores of 29-28.
Dvalishvili kept Cejudo on his toes early on by delivering a pair of spinning kicks early on. Cejudo remained calm and studied the field. Soon enough, Cejudo hit Dvalishvili with a hard left hand that sent him back. However, a few moments later, Dvalishvili grabbed a leg and kicked the planted foot for a nice takedown, but Cejudo quickly got back to his feet.
Dvalishivili landed a good punch and attacked for a takedown, but Cejudo backed away to take first position. After accumulating maximum control time, Dvalishvili managed to hold on to the fence. They exchanged a few blows close and then, after separating, before the horn.
Cejudo’s grappling game was on display at the start of Round 2, switching levels nicely. However, Dvalishvili reacted well to prevent the takedown from being completed. Back in the center of the cage, surprising exchanges took place. Dvalishvili hit Cejudo with a strong punch, exciting the crowd. Cejudo withstood the bombardment and faced threats again, but began to show signs of fatigue.
In the final seconds of the round, Dvalishvili applied a guillotine choke and began showing off by talking to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who was sitting cageside.
Cejudo’s left forearm was badly swollen at the start of the final round.
Dvalishvili went for the takedown repeatedly in the first half of the frame, but Cejudo was able to fight back. With just over two minutes left, Dvalishvili lifted and carried Cejudo across the cage before slamming him to the canvas. Dvalishvili built up some control time and staved off any last-minute effort from Cejudo to hit a home run in the final seconds.
After the judges ruled in his favor, Dvalishvili used his post-fight interview time to defend his upcoming title shot.
“I’m ready. I’m ready for 10 rounds,” Dvalishvili told Joe Rogan. “Whoever is champion, I’ll fight them next. I’ve been calling Sean O’Malley since 2018… My only goal now is qualification”.
Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who was sitting cageside, will face Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299 next month.
Dvalishvili has won 10 straight fights, including three straight wins over former champions including Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and now Cejudo.
Updated UFC 298 results include:
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Merab Dvalishvili defeated. Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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Anthony Hernandez defeated. Roman Kopylov via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 2, 3:23
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Amanda Lemos defeated. Mackenzie Dern by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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Marcos Rogerio de Lima defeated. Junior Tafa by technical knockout (kicks, punches) – Round 2, 1:14
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Rinya Nakamura defeated. Carlos Vera by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Zhang Mingyang defeated. Brendson Ribeiro by knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:41
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Danny Barlow defeated. Josh Quinlan by TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:18
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Oban Elliott defeats. Val Woodburn by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Miranda Maverick defeats. Andrea Lee by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub to UFC 298.
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