Cejudo pins Dvalishvili in 36 seconds to avenge wrestling defeat at RAF 12

Henry Cejudo wasted no time settling the score with Merab Dvalishvili, pinning the UFC bantamweight champion in just 36 seconds to win the RAF 12 main event and claim the promotion’s crossover championship. The result was a sharp reversal of their first wrestling encounter, in which Cejudo had led 8-0 before Dvalishvili stormed back to take the win.

From the opening moment, Cejudo moved with purpose. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist shot inside immediately, scored a four-point takedown, and wasted no time transitioning to a pinning position. Dvalishvili struggled to escape but could not free his shoulders from the mat, and the referee called the match shortly after.

“Merab is a machine,” Cejudo said after the bout. “I’ve been fighting for 13 years on my feet and I took the ‘L’ from him. I knew that he wasn’t necessarily scrambling … obviously I got the pin. Cody Garbrandt, you’re next.”

The callout of Garbrandt — himself a former UFC bantamweight champion — signals that Cejudo intends to defend his newly won RAF title quickly. The two share history inside the UFC octagon, making a potential wrestling crossover between them a natural next step.

For Dvalishvili, the defeat was a setback but not a deterrent. The Georgian fighter acknowledged Cejudo’s pedigree and left the door open for a third meeting on the mat.

“Absolutely. I love challenges,” Dvalishvili said. “Henry Cejudo called me out and I said yes. He’s an Olympic champion for a reason. He beat me today. Let’s go for a trilogy in wrestling.”

Before any rubber match can happen, however, Dvalishvili has pressing UFC business. He is scheduled to face Petr Yan in a trilogy bout at the UFC 333 co-main event in October, a fight that will command his full attention in the weeks ahead.