Henry Cejudo believes Merab Dvalishvili may be on thin ice with the UFC.
The #2 UFC Bantamweight contender was thought to be worthy of a title shot after a dominant win over Petr Yan in March. However, it looks like the promotion is going a different direction than Dvalishvili as a title rematch between new champ Sean O’Malley and Chito Vera would surely sell.
Cejudo To Dvalishvili: ‘They’re Gonna Skip You’
Despite boasting a nine-fight win streak, former champ Cejudo says Dvalishvili will be left out of the title talks at 135.
“What do you think Merab, the UFC is gonna do? They’re gonna skip you,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “Again, if you decide to hold out, there’s so many things that could happen to you. They’re gonna just dry you out. You’re just not the next person in line.
“Pull a stunt, do something that you will get to champion you able to call you out. But guess what? Sean O’Malley continues to keep calling out Chito Vera… You’re not getting that buzz, Merab. You’re not getting that buzz with Sean O’Malley. Sean Malley’s not gonna wake up, nor is Dana White going to wake up and say, ‘hey, you’re this week’s sweepstakes winner, you’re gonna get the title shot.'”
Cejudo Steps Into The Shoes Of Dana White
Why is Merab Dvalishvili not getting a title shot? Well, Cejudo says one factor could be that UFC CEO Dana White isn’t a fan of the Georgian not wanting to fight teammate Aljamain Sterling.
“Let’s put myself in the situation of Dana White. What is Dana White thinking? What is he doing? You don’t wanna fight Aljamain Sterling. You guys are buddy buddy. It seems like you’re his butt plug now. I really don’t get it. To me, honestly, I’d fight any of my friends for the belt.”
Dvalishvili Has ‘A Couple Of Options’
With Dvalishvili potentially getting passed up on a golden opportunity, Cejudo explains what he could do moving forward.
“I don’t think the UFC’s very fond of you from what I’m hearing,” Cejudo said of Dvalishvili. “So, you have a couple of options. One, you wait out and you dry yourself out and who knows man, I think the UFC’s probably thinking about doing something with you, dry you out and just not let you fight ever again. Or you could fight the ‘Triple C’. I think that’s suitable.
“You get past through somebody like myself. Then you know what, then you have a little more leverage. But as of right now, you sitting out and waiting out, the UFC’s gonna dry you out. then you have [Umar] Nurmagomedov coming in. Then you have Cory Sandhagen coming in. So, you know what happens, Merab? They’re gonna keep bumping you down. They’re gonna keep bumping you down because you don’t wanna fight your boyfriend. Aljamain Sterling.”
The UFC ‘Will Cut You’
Fighting through injuries as well as bantamweight politics, who knows when we could see Merab Dvalishvili return to the Octagon. But, Cejudo has reason to believe this may not even happen at all.
“They could [cut him from the roster],” Cejudo said. “I mean, that’s another thing that you’re gonna have to really realize. What other value do you win other than having a spectacular performance and beating a guy like Petr Yan? Like what else do you have, Merab? I feel like I’m picking on you. I don’t wanna pick on you, but I am picking on you.
“You will get cut by the UFC, man. You don’t bring any spectacular, finishes or knockouts or submissions. You’re beating people by decision. You wrestle the whole damn time. You get people against the cage. It’s not entertainment enough for the U F C to be like, ‘oh, he deserves more money, oh he deserves a title shot’. They won’t do that. They will cut you.
Cejudo continued.
“They’ve cut people in the past. They’ve warned people for doing that. Go back and think of a guy like, like Colby Covington, they were getting ready to cut him. You either need to up your shtick and become that heel, or take the fights that the UFC’s actually given you. They’re gonna make you go through that. You’re not gonna get it, man. I think that’s where I stand right now because it affects a little bit of the division, but the person that who it really affects more than anything is him.”
