The second PPV of the year is upon us. UFC 298 takes place this weekend with one title fight. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski puts his belt on the line against rising contender Ilia Topuria. Apart from that, there are several key matchups in different divisions that also feature on the card. Chief among them is a bantamweight clash between Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejuo. Both of them, according to Dana White, have big mistakes to make up for this weekend.
In a recent interview with Kevin Lole, Dana White shared his thoughts on the fight between Cejudo and Dvalishvili. The fight between Cejudo and Dvalishvili will have major implications for the bantamweight title. The winner will most likely face the winner of Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera. Dvalishvili and Cejudo are ranked second and third respectively in the bantamweight division, as well. Dana White, however, feels they are fighting for more than just a title spot. They are fighting to correct mistakes made in the past. He said:
“I think it was ridiculous that Henry Cejudo retired. When you retire, you should stay away and never come back. Merab sat out… didn’t take a title fight because his friend had the title. This is a big fight for both these guys.”
Dvalishvili and Cejudo go into the fight on the back of a polar opposite recent run of form. The former champion is coming off a loss in his return fight in May 2023. Dvalishvili, on the other hand, is on an impressive nine-fight win streak and one win away from fighting for the title.
Is Dana White right about his statements on Henry Cejudo?
Henry Cejudo is one of the very few fighters who got to step away from the sport on his terms. ‘Triple C’ stepped away from the sport after defending his title against an all-time great in Dominick Cruz.
When he announced his decision to step away, Dana White did not try his best to convince him otherwise. White did not pressure Cejudo to return to action multiple times. This was not the case with the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov. White and UFC often offered him heavy money to unretired. However, it never happened.
Meanwhile, after three years on the sidelines, Cejudo could not resist the urge to come back to fight. Cejudo stated in recent interviews that he came back as he wanted to compete once again.
While he did state that the money played a key role, it was not his only reason for coming back. However, the former champion has also said that if he is unable to beat Merab Dvalishvili, he will most likely go back into retirement. Therefore, there is a lot on the line for Dvalishvili at UFC 298.
