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Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili are expected to fight next year in the UFC bantamweight division. Cejudo lost a close decision to Aljamain Sterling in May, his first fight in over three years. He then challenged Sterling’s teammate, Dvalishvili, for a title eliminator. But he had to pull out of a fight with Marlon Vera later. Dvalishvili beat Petr Yan by unanimous decision in March, and hoped for a title shot. But Sean O’Malley became the champion in August, and wants to fight Vera again.
So, Cejudo vs. Dvalishvili makes sense. The UFC agrees, according to Giori Kokiashvili’s report. He said on social media that the fight is being finalized for January 2024. But the contracts are not signed yet, and the UFC has not announced the fight or the date. It could be at UFC 297 in Canada, which has few big fights so far.
This fight is good for both fighters. O’Malley vs. Vera is planned for early 2024, but not confirmed yet.