Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo will face regular contender Merab Dvalishvili in a bantamweight title eliminator contender at UFC 298.
The match is scheduled to take place on February 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The main card will be available on pay-per-view after airing on ESPN and ESPN+. This news was confirmed by a source familiar with the situation, but requested anonymity as the UFC has not yet made an official announcement.
Cejudo, currently ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, is aiming for redemption after losing a title fight to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288, following a three-year layoff. He was set to face Marlon Vera at UFC 292 in August, but an injury prevented the matchup. Now healthy, Cejudo is vying for another shot at the title.
However, the 36-year-old will face a strong opponent in No. 2-ranked Dvalishvili. ‘The Machine’, aged 32, has won nine consecutive fights and is determined to secure his first UFC title. Dvalishvili’s winning streak includes victories over former champions Petr Yan and Jose Aldo since April 2018.
In addition to Cejudo vs. Dvalishvili, the UFC 298 lineup features other notable matches:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilya Topuria – Featherweight title fight
- Danny Barlow vs Yusaku Kinoshita
- Zhang Minyan vs. Blendson Ribeiro
- Marcos Rogelio vs. Justin Tafa
- Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick
For more information on the event, you can visit MMA Junkie’s UFC 298 event hub.
For updates and discussions on this and other MMA content, check out MMA Junkie’s Instagram page and YouTube channel.