Henry Cejudo has pulled out of his scheduled bout against Merab Dvalishvili at RAF 08 in Philadelphia due to an injury. The fight was set to take place tonight and was originally the main event. Following Cejudo's withdrawal, Arman Tsarukyan versus Urijah Faber has been promoted to the new main event. No details about the nature or severity of Cejudo's injury were provided. No rescheduling information was mentioned in the post.
Henry Cejudo has been forced out of his bantamweight matchup against Merab Dvalishvili at RAF 08 in Philadelphia, pulling out on fight night due to an undisclosed injury. The bout had been slated as the evening's main event, but with Cejudo unable to compete, the card has been restructured and Arman Tsarukyan versus Urijah Faber has been elevated to headline the show. No details on the nature or severity of Cejudo's injury have been released, and no rescheduling information has been announced.
Cejudo, 39, carries a 16-6 record and is currently ranked ninth in the bantamweight division. The American wrestler out of Fight Ready stands five-foot-four with a 64-inch reach and averages 3.82 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy, adding 1.84 takedowns per 15 minutes to his output.
Dvalishvili, nicknamed "The Machine," enters the night as the number-one ranked bantamweight and sits second in the pound-for-pound rankings with a 21-5 record. The 35-year-old Georgian fighter trains out of Serra-Longo Fight Team and is one of the sport's most relentless grapplers, averaging a remarkable 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 4.33 significant strikes per minute.
Faber, the 47-year-old veteran from Team Alpha Male, holds a 35-11 career record. Standing five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach, "The California Kid" averages 2.65 significant strikes per minute and contributes 0.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes, making him a consistent threat on the ground as well as on the feet.
Why it matters
- Cejudo's late withdrawal leaves the ninth-ranked bantamweight's pursuit of a title contender fight on hold with no confirmed return date
- Dvalishvili, the top-ranked contender and number-two pound-for-pound fighter, loses a high-profile showcase that carried significant divisional implications
- The Tsarukyan-Faber pairing now carries the main event billing, shifting the card's competitive focus entirely
