"Arm might be broken", "Bullied to retirement" - Fighters and fans react as Merab Dvalishvili outclasses Henry Cejudo for title shot claim at UFC 298

Former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo lost his second straight fight against No.2 ranked contender Merab Dvalishvili after a three-round contest on the main card of UFC 298.

Dvalishvili extended his winning streak to 10 fights via a unanimous decision victory.

However, it was Cejudo who started stronger and caught his younger opponent on the chin but maintained his composure and did not pursue. 'Triple C' also managed to take down his opponent and cultivated some control time to snag the opening round.

Dvalishvili bounced right in the second and third round, rattling Cejudo with hard strikes, ground-and-pound, and a theatric guillotine choke while conversing with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg seated ringside. The third round featured some more showmanship as the dominant Dvalishvili hoisted Cejudo and slammed him to the canvas.

The reaction to Dvalishvili's win was also unanimous, calling for him to finally get his title shot, with some also speculating about a potential fight against champion Sean O'Malley. The comments read:

"If Merab doesn’t get a title shot after this WE RIOT."

"Give Merab Dvalishvili a title shot!! That man is an animal and a real threat at bantamweight"

"Merab plays with Sean O'Malley"

"Nothing but a shot at gold next!!!"

Others remarked on his raging performance and potentially having put the final nail in the coffin for Cejudo's UFC career.

"Cejudo’s arm might be broken"

"This is what happens when you fight an actual crazy persom"

"Fighter bullied to retirement: Henry Cejudo"

Check out the fighter reactions to Merab Dvalishvili's win in the screenshots below:

Fans react to Merab Dvalishvili's win at UFC 298.

Cejudo had clearly outlined in the build-up to the fight that his aim is to challenge for the title and he does not intend to continue on as a mere contender. It was always going to be a tough ask against a surging, in-form Dvalishvili, who is in pursuit of his ever-elusive title shot.