Merab Dvalishvili to wrestle Marlon Moraes at RAF Abu Dhabi
The former UFC champion, who stopped Moraes at UFC 266, returns on Nov. 14 in Abu Dhabi, on the same date as UFC 334, with no strikes allowed this time.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will wrestle Brazil’s Marlon Moraes at RAF Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena in the United Arab Emirates. Real American Freestyle announced the matchup on Wednesday. It is their first meeting since Dvalishvili beat Moraes at UFC 266 five years ago.
Dvalishvili returns 21 days after losing to Yan
The quick turnaround stands out. Dvalishvili lost to Petr Yan by unanimous decision at UFC 333 on Oct. 24, with all three judges scoring it 48-47. That fight took place in the same Etihad Arena he returns to 21 days later.
Two days after the loss, the Georgian said on social media that he was healthy and would be back soon. The comeback will happen on the wrestling mat rather than in the Octagon.
It will be the fourth RAF match for Dvalishvili, 35. He beat Frankie Edgar 12-1 in May, beat Henry Cejudo 11-8 in July in Georgia, and lost the rematch to Cejudo in August.
What happened between Dvalishvili and Moraes at UFC 266
They first fought on Sept. 25, 2021, in Las Vegas. Moraes dropped Dvalishvili in the first round and came close to ending the fight.
Dvalishvili recovered and won by TKO at 4:25 of the second round. It was a rare knockout for a fighter known for winning decisions.
Marlon Moraes went from MMA to police work in Florida
Moraes, 38, was born in Nova Friburgo, in Rio de Janeiro state, and will make his RAF debut. He is a former World Series of Fighting champion who fought Cejudo for the UFC bantamweight title in June 2019.
After retiring from MMA in 2023, he joined the Coral Springs Police Department in Florida. In August he returned at Liga Monstro Combate 2 in Sao Paulo and beat Argentina’s Maximiliano Perez by unanimous decision.
It was his first win since December 2019, when he beat Jose Aldo at UFC 245, and it ended a run of eight straight losses across MMA and grappling. His MMA record now stands at 24-13-1.
Two Brazilian black belts on a wrestling card
Moraes holds black belts in Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. In February 2019 in Fortaleza, he submitted Raphael Assuncao with a first-round guillotine. That weapon stays home in Abu Dhabi, because RAF uses Olympic freestyle rules.
He will not be the only Brazilian black belt there. Neiman Gracie faces Arman Tsarukyan in the co-main event after losing 11-3 to Shara Magomedov at RAF Moscow in September.
RAF Abu Dhabi and UFC 334 share a date
RAF Abu Dhabi is the league’s first event in the Middle East and streams on Fox Nation in the United States. The main event pairs Khamzat Chimaev with Colby Covington, who was submitted by Raul Rosas Jr. this week in Rome.
Nov. 14 is also the date of UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden in New York, where Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit meet for the heavyweight title.
Can Marlon Moraes get his UFC 266 loss back on the wrestling mat, or does Dvalishvili win this one easily? Tell us what you think in the comments.
Read more:
- Petr Yan beats Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333 to settle their trilogy
- Neiman Gracie faces Arman Tsarukyan at RAF Abu Dhabi
- Merab Dvalishvili promises a return as O’Malley predicts a Song KO
