Merab Dvalishvili has a unique vision for how he sees this Cory Sandhagen fight ending relative to how a lot of Dvalishvili's fights play out. As he aims to defend his 135 pound crown at UFC 320, the Georgia native foresees a finish transpiring in the standup portions of the fight instead of Dvalishvili's typical path of weaponizing his path in a grappling vein to secure the victory.
Speaking to Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, Merab Dvalishvili addressed the claims from some that he's perceiving this Sandhagen fight as an easy one and is overlooking Sandhagen a bit for a Petr Yan fight later this year to close out 2025 on a historic note. Touching on his next title challenger who he pointedly described as a dangerous opponent, Dvalishvili said,
“I have so much respect for him [Cory Sandhagen] as a fighter and as a human being. Every time I watch the knockout when he finished Frankie Edgar, it's crazy for me. He had finish against [Mario] Bautista, dominated Chito Vera, great fight against Petr [Yan]. He's dangerous, hard to stop, with submission games, knockout games, good cardio, good takedown defense, good footwork... It's going to be a great fight and I'm looking forward to facing him."
Merab Dvalishvili "looking for a knockout" agaisnt Sandhagen in October
As he continued to break down this next threat to his championship claim at UFC 320 on October 4th and the outcome he is mapping out for Sandhagen, Merab Dvalishvili continued,
"Yeah, I'm looking for a knockout because now I'm working on my striking. This fight most likely going to be on the feet. Of course, I'm going to exchange some punches with him and that's the goal, but same time it's MMA fight and we have to be ready for everything... I want to do my best to win but whatever happens, I will be happy because I will give all in my training camp and fighting. Even if he beats me, I will be happy for him because he's a great opponent and deserves everything good."
