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Merab Dvalishvili Vs. Cory Sandhagen Preview

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 11:20 AM ET

UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili puts his belt on the line against Cory Sandhagen, as we preview the upcoming fight.

The bout is the co-main event on the Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira card at UFC 320. Dvalishvili is in the midst of a phenomenal run, carrying an incredible 13-fight winning streak into the title defense. His championship run began with his title-winning victory over Sean O’Malley in September 2024. Since capturing the belt, the dominant champion has already made two successful defenses, defeating Umar Nurmagomedov and securing a decisive win in his immediate rematch with O’Malley.

The challenger, Cory Sandhagen, is also on a tear, having won four of his last five fights. His recent victories demonstrate his readiness for a title shot, including a key win over the formidable Deiveson Figueiredo in May. Sandhagen’s only recent setback was a tough loss to Umar Nurmagomedov last August.

Pre-Fight

“He must know that I hit hard. He will see. … If Cory Sandhagen will stop my takedowns, I will knock him out. It’s not only one thing (that he’s good at). Cory Sandhagen does lot of things. You see how he knocked out Frankie Edgar with a flying knee. That’s special. He knocked out Marlon Moraes with a spinning kick. He submitted Bautista. … He’s tricky. He’s smart. He does a lot of things,” Dvalishvili said

“Sanhagen’s one of my favorite fighters to watch. He’s a very, very good problem solver in the moment. He’s good at reading what’s in front of him and adapting his technique… And the thing with Merab because he’s got a very high pace… there’s almost like a subconscious motor… that subconscious motor can be a little bit predictable. So someone like Sandhagen’s going to see rhythms… I’m expecting knees and uppercuts and damaging things up the center channel and elbows on the inside,” Dan Hardy stated