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Merab Dvalishvili sends message to Petr Yan, promises to make Henry Cejudo ‘get drunk’ in Georgia after RAF match

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2 months ago

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Merab Dvalishvili sends message to Petr Yan, promises to make Henry Cejudo ‘get drunk’ in Georgia after RAF match

After four title fights in one calendar year, Merab Dvalishvili has been patiently waiting for word on his rematch against Petr Yan to settle their trilogy sometime in 2026.

Unfortunately, Dvalishvili hasn't heard a single word from the UFC on when he might actually get the chance to face Yan again and with the calendar already filled through August, the former champion is admittedly getting a little anxious. The original delay in booking the trilogy centered around Yan suffering an injury that was going to delay his return to action and Dvalishvili sent a message to the reigning UFC bantamweight champion in hopes of getting some kind of word about booking that third fight — hopefully sooner than later.

“I guess I'm not fighting in August and I haven't heard anything from Petr Yan,†Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. “I'm just waiting for him and I'm praying he's coming back soon. I don't know.

“Petr, come back soon, bro. Let's fight. I want to fight. Let's go.â€

If there's one advantage to the time off, Dvalishvili has been able to heal up some nagging injuries, although he added to that list recently after breaking his nose in training and then again during a recent wrestling match.

Dvalishvili downplayed the severity of the nose injury on both occasions and he almost expects it to happen again, which is why he's not stressing that affecting his ability to fight in the near future.

“My nose is good now,†Dvalishvili said. “It's healed up. But if it happens, I don't care anymore. I'll be fine.â€

With the Yan trilogy still on hold, Dvalishvili has been keeping busy in his spare time by crossing over to freestyle wrestling with matches booked in RAF.

Following a win over UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar in his RAF debut, Dvalishvili now gets the chance to fight at home with the promotion going to Georgia on Saturday for an international event with the former bantamweight champion facing Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo in the main event.

They were originally scheduled to clash at a prior RAF event but Cejudo dropped off the card at the last minute due to undisclosed reasons. Now Dvalishvili faces Cejudo in his native country and he admits that raises the stakes dramatically for him personally.

“This is pressure for sure,†Dvalishvili said. “I haven't competing in my country since 2010. It's going to be exciting but maybe a little bit stressful, too, because I can't lose [in front of] my people. It's going to be hard. Who knows?â€

When they met in the UFC, Dvalishvili was able to take Cejudo down and ultimately win a unanimous decision before moving onto capture the title at 135 pounds.

But that was MMA and this time Dvalishvili is a distinct underdog going against Cejudo, who captured an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling back in 2008. No matter the result, Dvalishvili says he's planning for a raucous night in Georgia after he faces Cejudo and he wants the former two-division UFC champion that he better have his party shoes on after the match.

“Maybe he wants to avenge his loss and I'm sure he's training hard to beat me,†Dvalishvili said. “Let's see. He's the best at wrestling. I have an advantage competing at my home in Georgia but it's his sport wrestling. We'll see what's going to happen.

“Whatever it will be, I'll be happy. After our match, win or lose, I'm going to make Henry Cejudo get drunk in Georgia. Give him lots of good Georgian food and show him hospitality. I have so much respect for Henry. He's a good athlete and a good father.â€

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MMA

Just Scrap Radio Ep. 230 with Dan Ige and Drakkar Klose

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1 hour ago

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September 8, 2026

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Just Scrap Radio Ep. 230 with Dan Ige and Drakkar Klose
Trending:

NSAC doubles down on punishment for UFC 329 fighters, fines Paddy Pimblett and two other big names

The 230th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com, with host Cole Shelton, is live to preview Noche UFC on Saturday.

We're joined by UFC bantamweight Dan Ige (0:00). We close things out by talking to UFC lightweight Drakkar Klose (14:26).

Dan Ige opens up the show to talk about his Noche UFC scrap against David Martinez. Dan chats about moving down to bantamweight and when that idea first came together. He then talks about the practice cut to 135lbs. Dan then talks about whether or not he was surprised to get a top-ranked opponent like Martinez, and why he actually called for this fight and event. He then talks about the style matchup, fresh matchups at 135lbs and what a win does for him here.

Drakkar Klose then closes out the program to talk about his Noche UFC fight against Tommy Gantt. Drakkar talks about another year-long layoff due to injury and when he was fully cleared to return. He then talks about how familiar he was with his opponent and whether or not it caught him by surprise. Drakkar then chats about the style matchup and wanting to bring Tommy into deep waters. Drakkar then talks about what a win does for him and wanting the Beneil Dariush rematch.

Be sure to tune in every Tuesday for another episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN as Cole Shelton chats with fighters to help preview or recap their fights.

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Stay locked to BJPENN.com all week for your Noche UFC coverage.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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MMA

Ex-UFC stars new career takes wild turn during traffic stop

Published

1 hour ago

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September 8, 2026

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Ex-UFC star's new career takes wild turn during traffic stop
Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Marlon
Moraes now deals with real-world situations, as seen in a
recent South Florida traffic stop.

Viral footage circulating on social media shows Moraes, now working
as a police officer, dealing with a motorist who repeatedly
confronted and verbally challenged him. After several warnings to
back away, the man moved toward Moraes, who responded by taking him
to the ground.

Marlon Moraes hip tosses motorist while working as South
Florida police officer

The incident took place on March 27. Moraes joined the Davie Police
Department in Florida in June 2024 before taking a position with
the Coral Springs P.D. later that year.

In the viral footage, the situation escalates after the motorist
repeatedly insults Moraes and another officer. Moraes warns him
against moving closer before eventually using a hip toss to bring
him to the ground, where other officers move in to handcuff
him.

The incident adds another chapter to Moraes’ unusual post-fighting
career, which has seen him transition into law enforcement while
also returning to mixed martial arts competition. The Brazilian
exited the UFC in 2023 on a seven-fight losing streak. He defeated
Maximiliano
Perez by unanimous decision on Aug. 28, returning to
competition after three years to record his first victory since
2019.

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MMA

Shavkat Rakhmonov admits UFC return is far from guaranteed

Published

3 hours ago

on

September 8, 2026

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Shavkat Rakhmonov admits UFC return is far from guaranteed
Shavkat
Rakhmonov isn’t ready to say that his
Ultimate Fighting Championship career is over, but the unbeaten
welterweight admits his return is far from guaranteed.

Rakhmonov has been sidelined since defeating Ian Garry in
December 2024. He entered that bout with a knee injury and it left
a long-lasting impact. In a new interview, he reflected on the
fight and where he stands in the 170-pound division.

Shavkat Rakhmonov details the knee injury that has kept him
sidelined since beating Ian Garry

“Nomad†admits that he should not have competed with his injury. He
also took a shot at Dagestani stars Khabib
Nurmagomedov and Islam
Makhachev, claiming they would never fight injured.

“Well, that's my problem; I couldn't fight,†Rakhmonov told Alf
Global. “If I had fought, I could've become champion, but that's
how it turned out. I was injured. What can I do? We are only human.
I actually shouldn't even have fought Ian Garry at
all. With injuries like that, I shouldn't have fought at all; I
just took a risk. That's the Kazakh way. Kazakhs are very daring.
They're not afraid. If it had been some other Dagestani fighter
like Khabib or Islam Makhachev, they definitely would've
refused.â€

Rakhmonov then delved deeper into how his injury worsened during
the Garry fight.

“I already had an injury going into the Ian Garry fight,†he added.
“I stepped in; I hadn't fought for a year; I wanted to fight. That
old injury was still bothering me a lot. My leg was swollen. And
when he was striking me, it was probably because I completely
lacked a ligament. I couldn't really feel that strike, in
general.â€

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