Merab Dvalishvili’s relentless wrestling against Cejudo meant he passed Clay Guida for the third most takedowns landed in UFC history.
After some positive early signs from Henry Cejudo, bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili cruised to a dominant decision victory on the main card of UFC 298 – with Dana White confirming the Georgian is next in line for the title at the post-fight press conference.
In the third round, as Merab scored his fifth takedown of the fight, the 17-4 machine surpassed Clay Guida for the third most takedowns in the promotion’s history, at 79 and counting.
Merab closes in on an all-time UFC record with win over Cejudo
As confirmed during the broadcast of UFC 298, Merab Dvalishvili is within touching distance of becoming the athlete with the most takedowns landed in the history of the UFC.
Georges St-Pierre currently leads the way in terms of takedowns landed with 90, followed by Gleison Tibau in second place on 84, and now thanks to a hard-fought victory at UFC 298, Merab Dvalishvili in third with 79.
- Georges St-Pierre – 90
- Gleison Tibau – 84
- Merab Dvalishvili – 79
- Clay Guida – 78
- Demetrious Johnson – 74
- Frankie Edgar – 73
- Nik Lentz – 69
- Colby Covington – 69
- Demian Maia – 68
- Rafael Dos Anjos – 68
Whilst Merab is now in the third-place spot, many suspect that it won’t be long before the Georgian sensation eventually surpasses GSP’s record of 90; given that he has now been guaranteed the next title shot.
At the post-fight press conference, Dana White confirmed that Merab is now the number one contender and will fight the winner of Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera, which goes down at UFC 299 next month.