Cejudo Pins Dvalishvili In 36 Seconds At RAF 12

Henry Cejudo made short work of Merab Dvalishvili in their RAF 12 main event rematch Saturday night in Cleveland, pinning the former UFC bantamweight champion in just 36 seconds.

The Olympic gold medalist shot inside for a single-leg takedown roughly 20 seconds into the match, according to MMA Mania, lifted Dvalishvili off his feet and slammed him to the mat for four points. Cejudo stayed on top, trapped the Georgian and forced both shoulders down for the pinfall before the match hit the one-minute mark.

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Cejudo Captures RAF Belt After Georgia Loss

The finish avenged a shocking comeback loss Cejudo suffered last month in Dvalishvili's home country, where he raced to an 8-0 lead before The Machine stormed back with 11 unanswered points. There would be no second-half rally this time. The win crowned Cejudo as RAF's newest Lightweight Crossover champion and improved his record under the banner to 2-1.

"Merab is a machine," Cejudo said afterward, per MMA Fighting. "I've been fighting for 13 years on my feet and I took the 'L' from him. I knew that he wasn't necessarily scrambling... obviously I got the pin. Cody Garbrandt, you're next bitch."

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Dvalishvili immediately opened the door to a third wrestling match despite the lopsided result. "Absolutely. I love challenges," he told reporters. "Henry Cejudo called me out and I said yes. He's an Olympic champion for a reason. He beat me today. Let's go for a trilogy in wrestling."

Both fighters have commitments elsewhere before any trilogy materializes. Dvalishvili faces UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan in their own trilogy at UFC 333 on Oct. 24, while Cejudo boxes influencer Deen The Great at Misfits Boxing on Sept. 26.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Henry Cejudo gets his revenge, pins Merab Dvalishvili in just 36 seconds in RAF 12 main event
• MMA Mania — Highlights! Henry Cejudo exacts revenge, pins Merab Dvalishvili in 36 seconds