Former UFC champion details why Henry Cejudo may struggle against Merab Dvalishvili

After seemingly announcing his retirement following his loss at UFC 288, it seems Henry Cejudo has had a change of heart and has set his sights on Merab Dvalishvili. In a matchup involving two elite grapplers, former UFC champion Dominick Cruz insisted that 'Triple C' could have a hard time against the Georgian.

A phenomenal fight between two of the greatest bantamweights of all time took place on Saturday but after coming up short, the Olympic gold medalist was considering retirement. While he, of course, has more to offer this sport, he believes that if he isn't competing against the best, there's no point in fighting.

Just days after the loss, Henry Cejudo made a sensational call out of Merab Dvalishvili as he looks intent to remain in the UFC. Whilst he believes it would be a great matchup, Dominick Cruz has predicted that 'The Machine's pressure will counteract much of his opponent's gameplan.

"I like that fight for Merab because, if you look at the pace that Sterling kept with the wrestling, that's the same pace that Merab's gonna keep. So it doesn't give a lot of openings for Henry to let his hands and his kicks go, which is where he seems to be the most comfortable right now."

Throughout the bout with Aljamain Sterling, Henry Cejudo somewhat struggled with the forward pressure of his opponent but it was the height and reach advantage that was his biggest enemy at UFC 288.

While each fight is different, the Olympian shouldn't have that same problem against Merab due to their similarity in height. Despite the stacked division, it would be hard to deny the winner a title shot should this fight get booked.

Check out what Dominick Cruz had to say about the potential 135lb fight in the video below from 1:07:00 onwards:

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When will the hypothetical fight between Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili happen?

Although the fight hasn't been made official, there has been some talk of when the bout could take place with UFC 292 being a likely destination.

Henry Cejudo is the one who initiated talks between himself and Merab Dvalishvili. He even gave his ideal date which would see the pair square off in Boston on August 19.

Despite it just being rumors at present, UFC 292 would be a brilliant time to showcase the high-level bantamweight clash. According to reports, Aljamain Sterling will be putting his title on the line against Sean O'Malley at the same event.