Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Merab
Dvalishvili mounted a fairytale comeback in front of his home
fans at RAF Georgia.

Dvalishvili took on Henry
Cejudo in a wrestling match at RAF Georgia. Cejudo took an
early 8-0 lead with a dominant gut wrench and appeared to be on his
way to a clear win. However, Dvalishvili came from behind in the
second period to close the gap to 8-5.

“The Machine†then sent the Georgian crowd into a frenzy as he
ultimately defeated Cejudo 11-8 on points.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo wrestling match delivers
dramatic comeback in Georgia

Dvalishvili had also defeated Cejudo via a unanimous decision in
their UFC clash in 2024. He won the UFC bantamweight title in his
next outing and defended it thrice before losing to Petr Yan at

UFC 323 this past December.

Cejudo retired from MMA on a four-fight slump following a loss to
Payton
Talbott on the same card. “Triple C†defeated fellow UFC
veteran Urijah Faber
in his RAF debut this past February before losing to Dvalishvili.
Meanwhile, Dvalishvili was coming off a victory over Frankie
Edgar in his RAF debut this past May.

Merab
Dvalishvili just came back from an 8-0 deficit to defeat
Henry
Cejudo in his hometown at RAF Georgia 🤯

WHAT A MATCH!pic.twitter.com/7U4zkQcHE3

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
July 11, 2026

Luke
Riley took issue with reaction to his finish at UFC 329. | 📷:
Getty/UFC

---

Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Luke Riley
was confident that it was only a matter of time before his
UFC 329 opponent, Kai Kamaka
III, went down.

Riley (14-0) took on Kamaka III (18-8) at UFC 329 in Las Vegas. The
Brit took some punishment to his lead leg early in the fight, but
needed just one well-timed right hand to floor his foe, also
opening up a cut near the Hawaiian's eye.

While Kamaka III returned to his feet, Riley was relentless with
his combinations, which was enough for referee Kerry Hatley to call
a stop to the contest. The stoppage drew some backlash from the
commentators and fans online, as Kamaka III was covering up but
still on his feet.

Luke Riley responds to criticism after UFC 329 victory over Kai
Kamaka III

Riley believes Hatley saved his opponent from taking unnecessary
damage. The Liverpudlian is confident he would eventually have
finished Kamaka III.

“Fans have the smallest memories ever,†Riley said in a post-fight
interview. “So, I think after the last one, coming into this one,
[fans were saying], ‘Luke decision, Luke decision. He's gonna
scrape a split decision.' It's like, OK, and then, yeah, that's
what happened: first-round knockout. So, the memory is gonna be
refreshed again.â€

Riley was coming off a decision win over Michael
Aswell going into UFC 329. The undefeated 27-year-old says UFC
fans started considering him a decision fighter after his last
victory. However, he just refreshed their memories with his 10th
career finish.

“Kai is a tough motherf*cker. But once I sniff blood, it's done,â€
Riley added. “Once I landed that shot on the chin, seeing he was
rocked, he was hurt, he was just a wounded animal that was gonna be
put down. And the ref saved him.â€

Furthermore, Riley addressed Joe Rogan and Daniel
Cormier's commentary and views on his finish. “They’ve f*cking
lost their minds. Two more seconds, and he would have been face
down on the canvas,†he said at the post-fight presser.

“I know what I can do.â€

Luke
Riley (@LukeRileyMMA)
wants to keep racking up wins and experience after posting his
third consecutive win to start his UFC career. #UFC329

Complete Prelim Results âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/zJYzZphBW3 pic.twitter.com/izipf6tI7s

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
July 12, 2026

Conor McGregor's longtime coach has spoken out after his fighter suffered an injury during the UFC 329 main event.

McGregor was hoping to turn back the clock with a vintage performance in his first fight since 2021. The “Notorious†one's bout five years ago ended when he broke his left leg, and his return concluded with a right leg injury. McGregor went for a jumping kick early in his fight with Max Holloway, but he landed awkwardly on the canvas. It was clear to Holloway and McGregor that something was wrong before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

McGregor's head coach John Kavanagh spoke on the situation in a post on his Facebook page. The SBG Ireland mentor is still trying to process what transpired this past Saturday.

“Devastated,†Kavanagh wrote. “That opening jump switch kick was drilled daily for months, multiple times in warm up. Never an issue. Knee went when he thru the very first kick. Doesn't get any worse than this. Looking forward to seeing my family in a few days.â€

McGregor will now have another road to recovery ahead of him. UFC CEO Dana White told reporters that he believes the top MMA star blew out his ACL. White noted that UFC doctors also feel that's the case before McGregor gets a proper diagnosis. If  the “Notorious†one did tear his ACL, then he can be ruled out of another fight in 2026. McGregor previously told Ariel Helwani that his last contracted UFC fight will take place in 2027.

On early Sunday morning, McGregor issued a statement on his social media pages. While he was gutted by the harsh conclusion to UFC 329, he vowed to overcome his latest setback to make the return he envisioned.

If Conor McGregor ever returns, who would you match him up against? Should the Max Holloway fight be rescheduled? Play UFC matchmaker in the comments below.