Henry Cejudo may be the most decorated fighter in UFC history. After making history as the youngest American to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, ‘Triple C’ went on to become only the fourth concurrent two-division champion in the UFC. But Merab Dvalishvili proved just how good he is as he not only matched Cejudo on the ground but went on to win their UFC 298 contest with ease last night.

And after his dominant victory, ‘The Machine’s coach revealed how hard he worked to take on the illustrious Cejudo.

Coach claims Merab Dvalishvili fought Sterling before UFC 298

Merab Dvalishvili’s coach, Ray Longo, joined UFC lead commentator Jon Anik and former commentator Kenny Florian on their ‘Anik and Florian Podcast’ to talk about ‘The Machine’s UFC 298 victory. Longo revealed that to warm up for the bout while backstage at UFC 298, Dvalishvili engaged in full-blown five-round fights with former champion and teammate Aljamain Sterling. So Cejudo was essentially the second fight of the night for the Georgian, as Longo rightfully pointed out.

“Literally fought Aljo, like fu**ing brutal. Little gloves on, swinging for the fu**ing fences. Like Aljo complains about my boxing class sometimes, that was way worse. Dude, they went at it three-fives. So that’s the second fight of the night… Full blown fu**ing fight…I mean crazy. The guy’s nuts. No drilling, just complete chaos,” the coach told Anik and Florian.

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The intensity of training impressed Longo and proved how far ‘The Machine’ was willing to go to prepare for Cejudo. This hard work paid off for the Georgian, who dominated rounds two and three, even managing to lift Cejudo off his feet and slam him after a lackluster first round. And to no one’s surprise, the first thing Merab Dvalishvili did after defeating Cejudo was to call for a well-deserved title shot.

Dvalishvili wants to fight the champion next!

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo was seen as a virtual #1 title contender bout for the bantamweight crown. Dvalishvili, ranked #2 in the division and now on a ten-fight win streak, will fight for the title next, according to UFC CEO Dana White. Who he will fight, however, remains to be seen as champion Sean O’Malley, who took the 135-pound gold off of Sterling last August, takes on Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera for his first title defense at UFC 299 in Miami next month. As things stand, Dvalishvili is very likely to fight the winner of that contest next.

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Merab Dvalishvili wasted no time in calling for a title shot after his win, saying he worked very hard for it. “Every day, I’m fighting in the gym. I wanted more rounds. Three rounds is nothing for me. Where is the champion? Bring him here right now!” Dvalishvili said.

The stage is set for an intriguing battle! Who will Dvalishvili face for the title? O’Malley or Vera? Let us know in the comments.

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