Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo 2 - Run It Back For Lightweight Crossover Gold

It was a lot of fun and it came down to the wire. Henry Cejudo was in control most of their first meeting but Merab Dvalishvili was in control when it counted the most. The two blew the roof off in their razor-thin match at RAF GEORGIA, you can only imagine what the rematch is going to look like at RAF12 especially with the Lightweight Crossover title on the line.

Rock beats scissors, paper beats rock and iron lungs beat gold medals at RAF GEORGIA when Merab Dvalishvili completed one of the most impressive come-from-behind victories in RAF history over Henry Cejudo. We’re bringing the rematch stateside to Cleveland and putting Lightweight Crossover gold on the line.

Down 7-0 in the first period, Dvalishvili looked like he would need to find another gear just to make an inevitable loss to Cejudo look close. Sure enough, he found that extra gear in the second period and then found yet another gear in the third and stormed all the way back to bring the home crowd to the top of their lungs and complete a victory of 11-8.

Dvalishvili will be the first to tell you, his freestyle chops may not go 1:1 with Cejudo’s on their own but can more than hold his own with his grappling and has some of the greatest cardio in the history of combat sports. It was no surprise he had enough heart and fuel in the tank to bring home the dramatic win.

Cejudo mixed explosivity with some of the greatest freestyle wrestling in the game to dominate Dvalishvili early. He had immediate success when he wrestled positionally and won every bit of hand-fighting. Can Cejudo tighten the screws on his cardio, abandon large-output offense such as gut wrenches and extended scrambles late in the match he can expect to see an entire match play out the way the first period did in Tbilisi.

Both men are in similar positions that Colby Covington and Arman Tsarukyan were in before facing off of RAF11. Both could make a claim for one of the faces of the promotion and a belt on the shoulder goes a long way into proving that.

The historical freestyle advantage may go to the American but the head-to-head edge now goes to Dvalishvili. “The Machine” has now defeated Cejudo in both MMA and freestyle wrestling and while a Cejudo victory could open the door for an RAF trilogy, a Dvalishvili victory to put an end to the rivalry right in the heart of Cleveland.

The rematch is going to likely look the same, offensively for Dvalishvili with a heavy emphasis on a smothering pace and pushing for scrambles. In theory, it’s the “same gameplan” he brings to every trip to the cage or mat but it’s simply too much, night in and night out.

To stop this gameplan, Cejudo will likely not only make concessions offensively but he’ll leave with gold around his waist. One man will need to abandon highlight reel hopes, the other will need to rely on them.

Neither man has let the audience down before and don’t expect either one to start on the one-year anniversary show.

It’s Cejudo, it’s Dvalishvili and it’s RAF gold on the line. Tune in to sure-fire action from whistle to whistle!

Catch Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo 2 LIVE at RAF12, Saturday, August 22 ONLY on FOX Nation!