So, we’ve got a potential bantamweight title eliminator on our hands. Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili are set to face off at UFC 298.
The news is out, folks. Multiple outlets have confirmed this after Cejudo himself announced the bout on his YouTube channel.
The event? UFC 298. The date? Feb. 17. The location? The Honda Center in Anaheim, California. And the headliner? A featherweight title tilt between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.
Now, let’s talk about Cejudo. He’s just come back from a three-year retirement at UFC 288 this past May. He didn’t have the best return, dropping a split decision to Aljamain Sterling in a bantamweight championship clash.
But don’t underestimate him. The Olympic gold medalist had been unbeaten in six previous Octagon appearances from 2017 to 2020. He’s got some notable wins under his belt, including victories over Dominick Cruz, Marlon Moraes, T.J. Dillashaw, Demetrious Johnson, Sergio Pettis, and Jussier Formiga, to name a few.
On the other side, we have Dvalishvili. He’s heading into the matchup with a nine-fight promotional winning streak. In his last outing, “The Machine” outdueled ex-champ Petr Yan over five rounds in the UFC Fight Night 221 main event on March 11.
So, there you have it. A potential bantamweight title eliminator that promises to be a thrilling face-off.