UFC 298 is underway, and we have some epic fights in store for us. With that said, one of the biggest and most important fights was between Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo. As such, let’s take a look at how things unfolded and what the final result was.
For the most part, the fight was an ‘all or nothing’ for Henry Cejudo. Now pushing 40, many felt as though it was a final run at the title for him or bust. On the night, Cejudo started brightly and managed to give Merab considerable trouble, more than anyone else in recent times. With that said, ‘The Machine’ was not going to be impressed that easily and had something truly special in store for Henry.
TEN 👏 IN 👏 A 👏 ROW 👏@MerabDvalishvil notches another UD win! #UFC298 pic.twitter.com/eqISVxZ5YK
— UFC (@ufc) February 18, 2024
Whilst Round 1 clearly went the way of Cejudo, with a lot of control time, Merab came right back. Pushing the pace much more and landing some good shots, Dvalishvili grew into the fight. Making Round 2 his own, the Georgian grew more and more comfortable as the fight went on. Notably, he even had the former double champ locked in a guillotine choke towards the end of the round.
As for the last round, Cejudo needed to throw the kitchen sink in to try and eke out a win. However, what ended up happening was complete dominance from Merab instead. In fact, it was more humiliation than dominance, as Dvalishvili simply picked up Henry at one point, slamming him in front of Mark Zuckerberg, who was in attendance. Unsurprisingly, the fight ended in favor of Merab, who won via unanimous decision.
Merab Dvalishvili talks to Mark Zuckerberg mid-fight- fans react!
Over the past few years, a lot of fans and experts have not given Merab Dvalishvili his deserved praise. This has mostly been due to his rather ‘boring’ and ‘one-dimensional’ fighting style. One of the most effective wrestlers and grapplers in the bantamweight division, Dvalishvili’s style is very difficult to contend with. Thus, Henry Cejudo was seen as the perfect opponent, being an Olympic gold medal winner.
On the night, Merab delivered one of the best and most entertaining performances of his career. During the fight, the Georgian grew into the fight and coasted across Rounds 2 and 3, at times making a mockery of Henry Cejudo’s resume and achievements in a way. As mentioned previously, he put Cejudo in a headlock at the end of Round 2. However, he didn’t stop there, as he then went on to have a conversation with Mark Zuckerberg.
Naturally, ‘The Machine’ got a big pop from the crowd for his actions, and he decided to do the same again. In Round 3, Dvalishvili promptly picked up Cejudo and brought him towards the side where Zuckerberg was seated. In the past few weeks, the 33-year-old has started to win a lot of fans over with his shenanigans online. However, his dominance and showmanship at UFC 298 ensured a whole new fan base for him.
As such, fans immediately took to social media to talk about the incident. One fan wrote, “There should be a scientific study on Merab Dvalishvili,” whilst another wrote, “No one has dominated Henry Cejudo like this” and “Merab Dvalishvili was talking to Mark Zuckerberg mid-fight.” Following the win, Merab jumped over the cage, extending a hand out to the Facebook and Meta CEO. Promptly, Zuck got up to shake the fighter’s hand before giving him a thumbs up as well.