A Quick Revenge in Cleveland

Henry Cejudo defeated Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of RAF 12 on Saturday night, needing just 36 seconds to secure a pinfall and claim the inaugural RAF Lightweight Crossover Championship. The match took place at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, where roughly 10,000 fans watched Cejudo score a low single-leg takedown, earn back points for a 4-0 lead, and keep Dvalishvili's shoulders on the mat for the stoppage.

The victory marked the fastest technical fall in RAF history, according to a Yardbarker report, coming eight seconds quicker than Khamzat Chimaev's win over Dillon Danis. Cejudo, a 2008 Olympic freestyle gold medalist, improved to 2-1 in RAF, while Dvalishvili, the former UFC bantamweight champion and 2007 Olympic gold medalist, fell to 2-1. After the match, the two competitors broke into a traditional Georgian dance, as reported by Yardbarker.

Settling a Three-Fight Rivalry

The result ended a personal series that spanned three outings across different sports. Cejudo and Dvalishvili first met at UFC 298 in February 2024, where Dvalishvili won by unanimous decision. They then wrestled at RAF Georgia in July, where Dvalishvili again came out on top, this time by an 11-8 decision after rallying from an 8-0 deficit, as reported by Heavy.

Prior to Saturday, Cejudo had lost both encounters, but this time he dominated. The Olympic gold medalist reversed Dvalishvili's attempts to scramble, took his back, and pinned him. Cejudo's victory was all the more focused because he changed his training, telling Chael Sonnen in a post-match interview that he went to Mule Fitness in Upstate New York after his loss at RAF Georgia, which he called a "humbling" experience.

Post-Match Reactions

In the wake of the match, Cejudo praised his opponent. "Dude, Merab is a machine," he said, according to Heavy and Essentially Sports, explaining that he knew Dvalishvili wouldn't necessarily be scrambling, so once he saw the position, he took over his back and got the pin.

Also, during the interview, Cejudo called out Cody Garbrandt. "Cody Garbrandt, you're next," the text reads, with essentially a bleeped expletive, as reported by multiple outlets. Garbrandt is a former UFC bantamweight champion with a wrestling background.

Dvalishvili, for his part, showed respect, thanking the promotion for the opportunity to stay active ahead of his own upcoming title fight with Petr Yan at UFC 333 in October. He also expressed openness to a trilogy in wrestling, saying, "Absolutely. I love challenges... Let's go for a trilogy in wrestling." As reported by Heavy, he added that if they wrestle 10 times, there will be 10 different results, and that while he is the king "in a fight," Cejudo is the king in wrestling.

Other Results and Future Fights

Beyond the main event, RAF delivered a crowded card. Jordan Burroughs won an 11-0 technical fall over Sean Brady, and reportedly is contracted for two more RAF matches, including against Magomed Kurbanaliev in Moscow on Sept. 5. Gable Steveson defeated Tony Cassurio 6-0; Kenneth Blades won 11-0 over Reese Larramendy; John New DiJulius took a 10-0 tech fall over Asu Almabayev; David Carr defended his welterweight title with a 5-4 decision over Tajmuraz Salkazanov; Ben Davin lost 4-0 to Masanosuke Ono; Will Chelan lost by medical default to Kadik; Jesse Mendez defeated Vladimer Khinchessgashvili 7-2; and Max McEnelly upset Bo Nickal 3-2, as reported by Cleveland.com.

Cejudo's return to wrestling has been watched carefully because his UFC comeback ended in an 0-4 streak, including the loss to Payton Talbott, though he did beat Urijah Faber in an earlier RAF event. Now, with the RAF title in hand, Cejudo has set his eyes on Garbrandt, though he also made an aggressive callout of interviewer Chael Sonnom during his post-match interview, as a Yardbarker report noted.

Meanwhile, the Colby Covington vs. Belal Muhammad fight was shifted to RAF13, a date for that is not yet announced.