Cejudo-Dvalishvili 3 Replaces Covington Headliner At RAF 12

Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili will clash for the third time in as many months when they headline RAF 12 on Aug. 22 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, with the Real American Freestyle lightweight crossover championship on the line.

The bout replaces a scheduled Colby Covington-Belal Muhammad match as the main event, Sherdog reported Tuesday. That welterweight showdown has been pushed to RAF 13 on Sept. 19 at Watsco Center in Miami.

Dvalishvili Won First Two Encounters

Cejudo and Dvalishvili last met at RAF Georgia on July 11 in Tbilisi, where the former UFC bantamweight champion jumped out to an 8-0 lead in a wrestling match before Dvalishvili rallied in front of his home crowd to take the win. That result followed their first encounter at UFC 298, where Dvalishvili outwrestled the Olympic gold medalist over three rounds to earn a unanimous decision.

Dvalishvili now carries a 2-0 record under the RAF banner, while Cejudo has split his two appearances after beating Urijah Faber in his debut. The Aug. 22 card will stream on Fox Nation.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — RAF 12 gets new main event with Henry Cejudo-Merab Dvalishvili 3