ANAHEIM, Calif. – UFC CEO Dana White typically doesn’t make fights the night of the fight, except on occasion he does, as was the case Saturday.
Following UFC 298 at Honda Center, White confirmed to reporters including MMA Junkie that top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) earned a crack a bantamweight gold following his unanimous decision win over Henry Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC).
“He looked good tonight, man,” White said at a post-event news conference. “He did what he had (to do). In my opinion, you can’t take three years off in a combat sport. It’s never done well for anybody. Cejudo looked great in the first round. I thought he started to gas out in the second round. Merab just got stronger as the fight went on.”
The bantamweight title will be on the line March 9 at UFC 299 in Miami, as champion Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) rematches longtime rival Marlon Vera (23-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC).
Dvalishvili, 33, will presumably face the winner as he looks to extend his 10-fight winning streak in his first-ever UFC title opportunity. Other notable victories for Dvalishvili include Petr Yan, Jose Aldo, and Marlon Moraes.
The victory Saturday over Cejudo came after an 11-month layoff for Dvalishvili, who dominated the vast majority of the second and third round (much to the delight of Mark Zuckerberg), and earned 29-28s across the board from the judges.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.
