Henry Cejudo says Merab Dvalishvili can settle the bantamweight GOAT debate at UFC 333.
Dvalishvili challenges Petr Yan for the bantamweight title on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It is the third fight between the two. Dvalishvili won the first by unanimous decision in March 2023. Yan took the title from him by unanimous decision in the rematch at UFC 323 in December, snapping Dvalishvili’s 14-fight win streak.
Cejudo, who lost to Dvalishvili at UFC 298 in February 2024, told MMA Junkie what a win would mean.
I think if Merab wins, yes (he’s the best bantamweight of the decade). Petr still hasn’t defended his title, so that’s hard. I would put Aljamain (Sterling) in front of him.
But when Merab wins, he just becomes the GOAT, straight up. He beat everybody. He beat everybody from me to Yan and just everybody. You’ve got to give it to him.
The rematch with Yan was Dvalishvili’s fourth fight of 2025. He landed just two of 29 takedown attempts that night. Cejudo expects that to change after Dvalishvili’s two Real American Freestyle wrestling matches against him, which they split.
I think Merab’s going to kill him, man. I think us having those two matches and him just training strictly on wrestling, he’s got so much better.
UFC 333 is headlined by Alexander Volkanovski defending the featherweight title against Movsar Evloev.
