Henry Cejudo has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout against Merab Dvalishvili at RAF 08 in Philadelphia due to injury. The fight was scheduled to headline the event. As a result, Arman Tsarukyan versus Urijah Faber has been promoted to the new main event for the card. The injury forced the last-minute change to the event's lineup.
Henry Cejudo has been forced out of his bantamweight showdown with Merab Dvalishvili at RAF 08 in Philadelphia due to injury, triggering a last-minute reshuffling of the card's main event.
Cejudo, known as "Triple C," entered the bout ranked ninth in the bantamweight division with a 16-6 record. The 39-year-old American, who trains out of Fight Ready, stands at five-foot-four with a 64-inch reach and has built his reputation on a well-rounded game that includes 1.84 takedowns per 15 minutes and a striking output of 3.82 significant strikes landed per minute.
Dvalishvili, the opponent left without a dance partner, holds the number-one bantamweight ranking and sits second in the pound-for-pound standings. The 35-year-old Georgian known as "The Machine" carries a 21-5 record and trains with the Serra-Longo Fight Team. His elite wrestling volume — 6.4 takedown attempts per 15 minutes — makes him one of the most relentless grapplers in the sport, and he lands 4.33 significant strikes per minute to complement that pressure.
With the original headliner scrapped, Arman Tsarukyan versus Urijah Faber has been elevated to the main event slot. Faber, the 47-year-old veteran nicknamed "The California Kid," holds a career record of 35-11 and represents Team Alpha Male. Standing five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach, Faber averages 0.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes, reflecting the submission-hunting style that defined his career at the top level.
Why it matters
- Cejudo's withdrawal removes a high-profile bantamweight contest that carried significant divisional implications at 135 pounds
- Dvalishvili, the top-ranked contender, is left without a fight and will need a new opponent to maintain his title momentum
- Tsarukyan versus Faber now carries the responsibility of headlining RAF 08, shifting the card's competitive focus
