Dvalishvili, Cejudo Set Aug. 22 RAF 12 Rematch for Inaugural Crossover Title

Q: Can the Olympic legend finally break his curse against Dvalishvili and claim the inaugural crossover belt, or will history repeat itself?

Henry Cejudo did break the streak. At RAF 12 in Cleveland on Aug. 22, he defeated Merab Dvalishvili by pin in 36 seconds to win the inaugural RAF lightweight crossover championship. Before the match, the intrigue was obvious: Dvalishvili had already beaten Cejudo twice, once in the UFC and once at RAF Georgia, where Cejudo led 8-0 before Dvalishvili surged back for a unanimous decision. That history is why Eric Bischoff called the rematch compelling—there were real stakes, real pressure, and a genuine rivalry rather than a manufactured storyline. On the evidence now available, Cejudo answered the central question emphatically. He not only avoided another loss, but finished the match almost immediately. A pin in 36 seconds is a decisive reversal of the narrative that had formed around Dvalishvili’s edge in the matchup. The result matters beyond simple revenge. The bout crowned the inaugural RAF lightweight crossover champion, giving Cejudo a title that RAF had promoted as a significant benchmark for elite combat-sports athletes crossing into freestyle competition. For Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist, it also restored some competitive authority in a rivalry that had recently tilted toward Dvalishvili. So history did not repeat itself. Cejudo finally solved Dvalishvili in RAF’s highest-stakes version of their series and left Cleveland with the belt.

1 articles · Updated · Heavy.com · Aug 17

Aug. 22 will bring a second RAF meeting between Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo, with the RAF 12 headliner deciding the inaugural lightweight crossover champion.
Bischoff said the rematch sells itself because Dvalishvili upset Cejudo at RAF Georgia, rallying from a deficit despite entering with just one prior RAF bout.
Cejudo faces added pressure in the sequel: the Olympic gold medalist has already lost twice to Dvalishvili—once in UFC competition and once on the RAF mats, where wrestling was expected to favor him.
RAF 12 also marks Real American Freestyle's one-year anniversary, giving the rivalry a showcase slot as the promotion leans on a real-sports narrative rather than scripted pro-wrestling storylines.