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Henry Cejudo may have lost his comeback fight at UFC 288, but that doesn't mean he's lost his fire. The former two-division champion, who had been on a three-year layoff, came up short in a split decision against reigning bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling.
And despite Cejudo being evasive regarding his plans in the cage, he eventually made it apparent in an Instagram post that he had Merab Dvalishvili in his sights for the upcoming UFC 292 pay-per-view scheduled for August 20 in Boston. Another idea is to have Sterling's subsequent title defense against Sean O'Malley take place at UFC 292.
In an interview after the fight, Cejudo expressed that this might be his last appearance inside the octagon, but he will discuss it with Dana White and his family regarding it. The Georgian fighter, who is currently ranked #1 in the bantamweight division, was not on the UFC 288 card, but Cejudo seems to have a personal vendetta against him maybe because he is Sterling’s best friend and eyes a win to secure another title shot.
In a tie with Sterling for his longest winning run in the division, Dvalishvili is now undefeated in nine fights. regardless of whether he has defeated many opponents to advance in the ranks, Sterling and he had pledged not to fight one another, which complicates the trajectory of his career.
Presumably No. 1 contender Sean O'Malley entered the octagon to face Sterling this past Saturday, and he still had Sterling's support. O'Malley's jacket was stolen by Dvalishvili after the latter crept up behind him and almost started a brawl.
Of course, whether a fight between Cejudo and Dvalishvili will happen remains to be seen. Dvalishvili may have other plans for his career, and the UFC may not be eager to book a fight between two fighters who are not currently ranked in the top three of the bantamweight division. But if there's one thing we know about Cejudo, it's that he's never been one to back down from a challenge.
Despite his loss at UFC 288, Cejudo showed that he still has plenty of fight left in him. And if he does end up fighting Dvalishvili, it's sure to be a highly anticipated matchup. Will Cejudo get his wish and have Dvalishvili's head on a plate? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure: Cejudo is not done making noise in the octagon just yet.