Henry Cejudo has pulled out of his scheduled bout against Merab Dvalishvili. The post provides limited details about the circumstances of the withdrawal, including the reason for Cejudo's pullout or whether a replacement opponent has been named. No information about the planned event or date was mentioned in the announcement. This represents a significant development as it was expected to be a high-profile bantamweight matchup between the former two-division champion and the rising contender.
Henry Cejudo has withdrawn from his scheduled bantamweight bout against Merab Dvalishvili, a high-profile matchup that will now need to be restructured. No official reason for the pullout has been provided, and no replacement opponent has been announced at this time.
Cejudo, known as "Triple C," holds a 16-6 record and is currently ranked ninth in the bantamweight division. The 39-year-old American, who trains out of Fight Ready, is a former two-division UFC champion and remains one of the most decorated fighters in the sport's history. He stands five-foot-four with a 64-inch reach and lands 3.82 significant strikes per minute at a 47 percent accuracy rate, while also averaging 1.84 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Dvalishvili, by contrast, enters the picture as the number-one ranked bantamweight and the number-two pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The 35-year-old Georgian, nicknamed "The Machine," carries a 21-5 record and trains out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team. Standing five-foot-six with a 68-inch reach, he is one of the most relentless wrestlers in the division, averaging an extraordinary 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside a high-volume striking output of 4.33 significant strikes per minute.
Why it matters
- Dvalishvili is the top-ranked bantamweight contender, making any opponent change a significant divisional event
- Cejudo's withdrawal leaves the number-one contender without a dance partner and could disrupt title picture timelines
- The stylistic clash between Cejudo's technical grappling and Dvalishvili's relentless pace had made this one of the more anticipated 135-pound matchups in recent memory
