The RAF Georgia event on July 11 will feature a clash between Sadulayev and Snyder alongside a high-profile bantamweight matchup between Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo. The card shapes up as a major international MMA event for the summer calendar.
Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo will collide in a bantamweight showdown at RAF Georgia on July 11, part of a stacked international card that also features a matchup between Sadulayev and Kyle Snyder.
Dvalishvili enters the fight as the clear divisional frontrunner. The Georgian native carries a 21-5 record and sits at number one in the bantamweight rankings while holding the number two spot on the pound-for-pound list. Fighting out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, the 35-year-old known as "The Machine" is one of the most relentless wrestlers in the sport, averaging an extraordinary 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes. He also pushes a high output on the feet, landing 4.33 significant strikes per minute.
Cejudo, nicknamed "Triple C," brings a 16-6 record into the bout and is ranked ninth in the bantamweight division. The 39-year-old American, who trains with Fight Ready, stands five-foot-four with a 64-inch reach. He averages 3.82 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy and contributes 1.84 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a well-rounded threat despite the age gap between the two fighters.
Why it matters
- Dvalishvili is the division's top-ranked contender and a pound-for-pound top-two fighter, so a loss here would significantly disrupt the bantamweight title picture
- Cejudo, ranked ninth, has a chance to leapfrog several contenders with a victory over the division's premier name
- The style matchup pits Dvalishvili's elite wrestling volume against Cejudo's own grappling pedigree and veteran striking craft
- The fight takes place in Dvalishvili's home country of Georgia, adding considerable significance to the event beyond pure rankings math
