Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo will face the surging Merab Dvalishvili in his Octagon return.
After months of speculation, Cejudo announced the Dvalishvili fight for UFC 298 on February 17 in a video on his YouTube channel. MMA reporter Giorgi Kokiashvili was first to report the news of the matchup.
At the event, set for Anaheim, California, Cejudo and Dvalishvili will compete in a likely number one contender fight. UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley is set to face Marlon Vera for his first title defense in the following pay-per-view in March.
Henry Cejudo was supposed to face “Chito” at UFC 292 this past August before suffering a shoulder injury weeks before the event. He was replaced by Pedro Munhoz, who lost to the Ecuadorian by unanimous decision.
Henry Cejudo returned earlier this year at UFC 288, losing to then-champion Aljamain Sterling in his first fight in three years. He originally retired following a win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in 2020.
Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili Adds To Building 2024 Lineup
Merab Dvalishvili is looking to keep up his momentum after recent dominant performances against Petr Yan and UFC Hall of Famer José Aldo. He’s refused to face his teammate Sterling and has been on the shelf in recent months regarding the bantamweight title picture.
The Georgian has won nine consecutive fights after dropping his first two UFC appearances to Frankie Saenz and Ricky Simón. He’s picked up wins over former UFC title challengers Marlon Moraes and John Dodson.
In joining the UFC 298 lineup, Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili will sit below a featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated challenger Ilia Topuria.