Merab Dvalishvili is aiming for a title shot at UFC 298, where he will face former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, and believes a win should secure him a title fight.
Merab Dvalishvili’s got his eyes on the prize. It’s all about the title shot at UFC 298 for him.
He’s up against Henry Cejudo, the former two-division champ. This is the co-main event of UFC 298, happening in February.
Cejudo’s been talking. He says the winner gets a shot at the bantamweight title. That’s if they can beat either Sean O’Malley or Marlon Vera at UFC 299.
Dvalishvili’s response? He’s on board with Cejudo’s claim. But, he hasn’t heard anything official from UFC.
“No, they don’t tell me like this,” Dvalishvili admits. He’s been on The MMA Hour, saying he’s ready for a title fight. “That’s all I want to do now. Nothing left.”
He’s got a point. He’s been winning fights. His goal now? Fight for the title and win it. That’s it.
He’s got a nine-fight win streak. He’s beaten two former champs. Now, he’s up against one of the greatest, Henry Cejudo. Olympic champ, two-division champ. If Dvalishvili beats him, why wouldn’t he get a title shot?
He’s pretty sure he’ll get the title fight this time.
Dvalishvili’s been on a roll. Nine wins in a row since 2018. He’s beaten former UFC champs Jose Aldo and Petr Yan. If he beats Cejudo, there’s only one next step in his mind.
“How I’m gonna go back and keep fighting guys from behind?” he asks. He wants to fight the guys in front. The champion. That’s how it goes. You win, you fight the champ. You lose, you step back. But, nothing’s guaranteed.
So, why did Dvalishvili even take this fight? He’s the No. 2 ranked bantamweight in UFC. Only Aljamain Sterling, his teammate, is ahead. Sterling, the former champ, is moving up to featherweight.
Dvalishvili’s earned a title shot. But, he didn’t want to wait. Another big fight was possible.
He respects Cejudo. He wants to stay busy. He doesn’t want to wait. He wants to fight the greats. He fought Aldo. If Aldo had beaten him, he’d have wished him well. But with Cejudo, it’s different. He wants to beat him. He wants the title.
A win against Cejudo should be enough. Even a split decision. But he’s not aiming for a split decision. He wants to dominate. Maybe even finish. But, it’s a fight. Anything can happen.
If he wins, that’s 10 in a row. That should line him up for a title shot. But, it depends on who wins the bantamweight title fight. He’s hoping for O’Malley. There’s some heat between them.
“I hope so, but it’s not gonna be easy,” Dvalishvili says. He thinks ‘Chito’ could beat O’Malley again. But he’s hoping for an O’Malley win.
The fight might be boring. Chito usually doesn’t do much in the first couple of rounds. O’Malley ran from Aljo last time. Maybe they’ll both run. We’ll see.
UFC 298 is on Feb. 17. It’s at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.