“I’m Merab times ten” Henry Cejudo fires warning to Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling

Henry Cejudo has fired a warning towards his rivals at the top of the UFC’s bantamweight division.

The former double champion came out of retirement and returned to the USADA testing pool in May. He’s since been heavily-linked to getting the next title shot against Aljamain Sterling. Despite having not competed in MMA since defending the 135lb title against Dominick Cruz in 2020, the former Olympian remains outspoken about his abilities.

Cejudo was speaking on his YouTube channel about how 3-ranked Merab Dvalishvili would expose number one contender Sean O’Malley, and followed up by suggesting how much better he is that the Georgian.

“I’m Merab [Dvalishvili] times ten. My wrestling pedigree is so much better than him. Even a guy like Merab, he’s a danger to everybody else, but me,” explained Cejudo. “A guy like Merab would be the easiest fight for me, and I mean that, and I’ve told him that actually in Vegas… I said, ‘hey, man, I think if I was you, I’d stay away from a guy like me,’ he added.

Image via @henrycejudo on Instagram (photographer not listed)

Dvalishvili is riding an eight-fight winning streak. On his last outing he defeated the legendary Jose Aldo. Before that, the Serra-Longo stalwart finished Marlon Moraes to earn himself a Performance of the Night Bonus at UFC 278.

Cejudo, however, is convinced he’s on another level to both him and his teammate Sterling.

“I’m a better athlete, I got better hands, I can submit, I can do a lot of things, and my wrestling is just that much better,” said ‘Triple C.’

“You go up against a guy that knows how to wrestle, and has been doing that since he was a kid, like myself, and doing it at the highest levels, you’re in trouble. The same reason why Aljamain Sterling doesn’t want to fight me.”

Cejudo has spent much of his hiatus focussing on coaching and has even teamed up with his old rival Demetrious Johnson for training. Before hanging up the gloves, ‘The Messenger’ amassed a six-fight winning streak which included wins over ‘Might Mouse,’ as well as former champion TJ Dillashaw.

Having won an Olympic Gold medal in wrestling as well as two UFC world titles, Henry Cejudo has a strong argument for being one of the best combat sports athletes in the world. If he does come back to beat Sterling and regain the belt, it will be mark an incredible return to the top of the sport for the 35-year-old.

What do you make of Cejudo’s comments?