Merab Dvalishvili faces Frankie Edgar at RAF 9 in Arlington

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Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t come from a wrestling background but you’d never know that with his impressive performance shutting down UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar at RAF 9. A slow start gave way to an offensive onslaught from Dvalishvili as he scored multiple takedowns to eventually reach a 12-1 lead over Edgar, which ended the match via technical superiority. Afterwards, Dvalishvili turned his attention towards his old rival Henry Cejudo, who he was originally supposed to meet in his RAF debut. View this post on Instagram “I want to call him out,” Dvalishvili said about Cejudo. “He disappeared when I was ready. Henry, I hope you have big balls to go wrestling with me. Show me some Mexican balls, bro! “This is wrestling, one point can change everything. I love RAF. It motivates me. This is a great reason to be busy, to get better everywhere. I’m ready. Whoever. I would like to challenge everybody.” An early takedown attempt from Dvalishvili was thwarted by Edgar but the referee soon issued a warning for a lack of activity. That cost Dvalishvili a point and Edgar continued showing strong defense until the first period ended. Dvalishvili got on the board with a pushout as he kept attacking in an attempt to put Edgar on the ground for the first time. The former UFC bantamweight champion then snatched a single-leg takedown to score two more points on Edgar as he stayed the busier wrestler. A late clash of heads busted Dvalishvili directly in the nose after he just recently suffered another break during a training session. On the restart in the final period, Dvalishvili grabbed another single-leg with a slick trip that scored four more points. Dvalishvili grabbed a leg lace but he couldn’t turn Edgar before they were stood up again by the referee. Before long, Dvalishvili was deep on another body lock and Edgar tried to reverse for a throw of his own to get back in the match but he was shut down before landing on his back. Dvalishvili executed one more turn after the takedown and that put him up by more than 10 points, which gave him the tech fall victory. With Dvalishvili still waiting on his trilogy against reigning UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan to get scheduled, he plans on staying busy in RAF with his sights set on Cejudo next.

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 06: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia looks on prior to a bantamweight title bout against Petr Yan during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena on December 06, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images This is the live blog for Merab Dvalishvili vs. Frankie Edgar, an undercard match at RAF 9 from College Park Center in Arlington, Tex. on Saturday night. One of the top pound-for-pound MMA fighters in the world, Merab Dvalishvili was on the cusp of making history in 2025, attempting to defend his UFC bantamweight title four times in a calendar year. Unfortunately for “The Machine,” he lost his rematch with Petr Yan in December, ruining those plans. Now, Dvalishvili is waiting for a trilogy bout with Yan, and in the meantime, joined up with RAF. Dvalishvili was supposed to make his promotional debut last month at RAF 9 against Henry Cejudo, but “Triple C” pulled out just hours before the event due to injury. Now, Dvalishvili does debut on the RAF mats, against a very different opponent. A UFC Hall of Famer, Frankie Edgar is a former lightweight champion and one of the most beloved and respected fighters of his generation. But before becoming an MMA icon, “The Answer” was a collegiate wrestling standout for Clarion University. Having retired from MMA in 2022, Edgar now makes his return to competition on the RAF mats. Check out the live blog for Dvalishvili vs. Edgar below. Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Official Decision Post Match

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Merab Dvalishvili put together an impressive performance to beat UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar