Henry Cejudo withdraws from Merab Dvalishvili bout due to injury

Henry Cejudo has been forced off tonight's RAF 08 card in Philadelphia, withdrawing from his scheduled bantamweight bout against Merab Dvalishvili due to injury. The fight had been set to headline the event, and no details about the nature of the injury or a potential rescheduled date have been disclosed.

Cejudo, nicknamed Triple C, holds a 16-6 record and sits ninth in the bantamweight rankings at 39 years old. The American fighter out of Fight Ready stands five-foot-four with a 64-inch reach and lands 3.82 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy, also averaging 1.84 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Dvalishvili, who had been preparing to face Cejudo, is ranked first in the bantamweight division and second in the pound-for-pound rankings. The Georgian fighter, known as The Machine, carries a 21-5 record at 35 years old and is one of the sport's most relentless grapplers, averaging an outstanding 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes while landing 4.33 significant strikes per minute.

With the original main event scrapped, Arman Tsarukyan and Urijah Faber will now headline the Philadelphia card. Faber, known as The California Kid, is 47 years old and holds a 35-11 record. The Team Alpha Male veteran stands five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach and averages 0.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes, pointing to his well-documented grappling background.

Why it matters

• Cejudo's withdrawal removes a high-profile bantamweight matchup with significant divisional implications, as Dvalishvili is the division's top-ranked contender
• Dvalishvili's path toward another title opportunity is temporarily stalled with no rescheduled date announced
• Tsarukyan and Faber are elevated to the main event slot, shifting the card's competitive dynamic considerably