Merab Dvalishvili Sends Message to Petr Yan, Vows to Get Henry Cejudo 'Drunk' in Georgia

Merab Dvalishvili is making noise outside the cage, sending a pointed message to bantamweight champion Petr Yan while also vowing to celebrate his recent RAF bout by getting teammate Henry Cejudo drunk back home in Georgia.

Dvalishvili, ranked first in the bantamweight division and second in the pound-for-pound standings, carries a 21-5 record and has established himself as one of the most relentless fighters in the sport. The 35-year-old Georgian, who trains out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, averages an eye-catching 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes and pours on 4.33 significant strikes per minute, making him a near-constant pressure threat across all five rounds.

Standing in his crosshairs is Petr Yan, the current bantamweight champion. The Russian fighter holds a 20-5 record and is widely regarded as one of the most technically complete strikers in the division, connecting at a 54 percent striking accuracy rate and landing 5.12 significant strikes per minute. The 33-year-old out of Archangel Michael Club holds the belt Dvalishvili clearly has his sights on.

Also drawn into Dvalishvili's post-fight celebrations is Henry Cejudo, the 39-year-old American known as Triple C. Ranked ninth in the bantamweight division, Cejudo holds a 16-6 record and fights out of Fight Ready. At five-foot-four with a 64-inch reach, he is one of the smaller fighters in the division but remains a technically sound competitor with 1.84 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• Dvalishvili as the number-one bantamweight contender makes his callout of champion Yan a legitimate title picture development
• A future Dvalishvili versus Yan matchup would pit the division's highest-volume grappler against its most accurate striker
• Cejudo's presence in the conversation adds another credible name to an already crowded 135-pound title hunt