Merab Dvalishvili back three weeks after Petr Yan loss, joins Chimaev's RAF card in Abu Dhabi

RAF has not named his opponent yet, and the man Dvalishvili said he wanted, Henry Cejudo, is already booked in Chicago two weeks later.

Merab Dvalishvili will be back in competition just three weeks after his UFC 333 defeat by Petr Yan, with Real American Freestyle (RAF) adding the former UFC bantamweight champion to its wrestling card at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on 14 November.

"Merab Dvalishvili joins the #RAFABUDHABI card on November 14 at Etihad Arena. Opponent reveal coming soon," RAF wrote on Instagram. Bloody Elbow described him as a late addition to the line-up.

He returns to the same building where Yan beat him on a unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the five-round fight 48-47, to keep the UFC bantamweight title and take a 2-1 lead in their rivalry. Dvalishvili wrote on X after the defeat: "I am healthy and motivated and will be back soon! This Machine never breaks!"

Before UFC 333 he named the opponent he would like. "Yes, why not? I'd like to have a trilogy with Henry Cejudo, and Abu Dhabi would be a great place," he told Red Corner MMA at UFC 333 media day. The pair hold a win each in RAF, with Cejudo taking the rematch in 36 seconds in August. "I got caught, like you can get caught in fighting," Dvalishvili said. "He did a good job. That's part of the sport... Third time will be different."

Cejudo already has a match that month. He faces Song Yadong in the co-main event of RAF 15 on 28 November at NOW Arena in Chicago, 14 days after Abu Dhabi.

The Abu Dhabi card is headlined by Khamzat Chimaev against Colby Covington, with Covington's cruiserweight crossover title on the line. Arman Tsarukyan is also due to wrestle Neiman Gracie on the show.

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