Cleveland got exactly the kind of night Henry Cejudo promised. Facing Merab Dvalishvili for the third time across two combat sports, Cejudo made sure there would be no debate about who left the RAF Wrestling mat standing tallest.
It took 36 seconds.
Cejudo went in early, secured the takedown, and never let Dvalishvili find his footing again. From top position he worked toward a technical fall and got it, closing the show before the crowd had even settled into their seats.
The finish broke the record for fastest tech fall in RAF Wrestling history, shaving eight seconds off the previous mark set by Khamzat Chimaev against Dillon Danis.
For Cejudo, the result closes a loop that had been open since 2024. He and Dvalishvili first met at UFC 298 in a title eliminator, a bout Dvalishvili won on his way to becoming one of the sport’s most dominant forces.
Their paths crossed again last month in Georgia on the wrestling mat, where Dvalishvili produced a comeback that looked to swing momentum firmly in his favor heading into Cleveland.
But with Saturday’s result, the two are now 1-1 in their RAF Wrestling meetings. That tangled history is part of why the RAF belt now feels less like a conclusion and more like a running storyline, one that both men may be inclined to keep writing.
Cejudo was not interested in a quiet celebration. Once he got hold of the microphone, he turned his attention away from the mat and toward the crowd, delivering a pointed message aimed squarely at interviewer Chael Sonnen before pivoting to his real target: former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt. Cejudo made it clear he views Garbrandt as the next man he wants across from him with the RAF belt on the line.
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