Merab Dvalishvili secured a dramatic victory over Henry Cejudo at the RAF Georgia event held at the Tbilisi Sports Palace in Tbilisi, Georgia. The match, which served as the main event, saw Dvalishvili overcome a significant early deficit to win by points with a score of 11-8. This marked the first Real American Freestyle (RAF) event to take place outside the United States.
Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling from 2008, began the match strongly, quickly establishing an 8-0 lead. He achieved this with a high gut-wrench, putting him just one takedown away from a technical fall victory. However, Dvalishvili, known for his resilience and persistent attacks, began to turn the tide in the second period.
With the support of the home crowd, Dvalishvili initiated his comeback. He secured a single-leg takedown in the second period, followed by another takedown in the third. A shot clock advantage further contributed to his score, allowing him to take a narrow 9-8 lead. He then closed out the match with an additional takedown, securing the 11-8 win.
This contest was the second athletic encounter between Dvalishvili and Cejudo. They had previously met in the UFC two years prior, a fight that Dvalishvili also won by decision. With this recent victory, Dvalishvili improved his RAF record to 2-0, having also defeated Frankie Edgar at RAF 09 in May. Cejudo’s RAF record now stands at 1-1, with his previous win against Urijah Faber at RAF 06 in February.
Other notable matches at RAF Georgia
The RAF Georgia event featured a 12-match card showcasing various decorated combat athletes. In another significant bout, Kyle Snyder successfully defended his light heavyweight title by defeating two-time Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev via pinfall. This win was described as Snyder’s toughest test in his RAF career. Sadulaev sustained an injury during the match and required assistance off the mat.
Kyle Dake also retained his cruiserweight belt, securing a victory over Vladimeri Gamkrelidze by points with a score of 2-0. Dake sustained a cut to his head during the intense match but continued to compete, improving his RAF record to 5-0. The physicality and hand fighting in this bout were notable, leading to a blood time-out.
In the women’s division, Helen Maroulis retained her women’s bantamweight title by defeating Anhelina Lysak via pinfall. Other matches on the card included Givi Matcharashvili defeating Zach Elam by points (7-3) in a heavyweight bout, and Geno Petriashvili securing a technical fall (10-0) victory over Jake Varner, also in the heavyweight category.
Opening performances and upcoming events
The event commenced with a dominant performance by Arman Tsarukyan, who delivered an 11-0 technical fall masterclass against Kuat Khamitov. Tsarukyan, considered one of the pound-for-pound best UFC fighters, extended his RAF record in 2026 to 7-0 with this win. He is scheduled to return to the RAF mats in one week, on July 18, at RAF 11 in Milwaukee, where he will face Colby Covington.
Other results from the event included Vladimer Khinchegashvili defeating Conor Beebe via technical fall (11-0) in a featherweight contest. Ernazar Akmataliev secured a points victory (3-3) against Zain Retherford in a lightweight match, marking Akmataliev’s RAF debut win. Razambek Zhamalov won by points (3-2) against Jarrett Jacques in a catchweight bout, and Anastasia Nichita defeated Vinesh Phogat by points (7-6) in a women’s bantamweight match. Additionally, Brock Hardy achieved a technical fall (12-2) victory over Alibeg Alibegov in a featherweight contest.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com
Mason Reed
Sports reporter covering football, basketball and international competitions.