This was announced by the American’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, in an interview with The Schmo.
“He and Henry were offered the fight for December, but then things got renegotiated and now the fight is being offered for January,” Abdelaziz said. “Henry, of course, said yes because he knows – Merab is the guy you have to beat to fight for the title. So, he said ‘yes’ and now we’re waiting for Merab.”
That said, “Triple Crown Champion” revealed on social media that his bout with the Georgian fighter could take place on January 20 at UFC 297 in Toronto, which is rumored to be headlined by a featherweight title fight between Alex Volkanovski and Elijah Topuria.
In May of this year, 36-year-old Henry Cejudo resumed his career after a three-year hiatus after failing to take the championship belt from Aljamain Sterling, to whom he lost by split decision over five rounds. His next opponent was to be sixth-ranked Marlon Vera, but the American withdrew from the fight, citing injury.
Merab Dvalishvili, 32, earned his ninth consecutive victory in March with a dominant unanimous decision win over former division champion Petr Yan.