What’s Next For Merab Dvalishvili?

Merab could target a fight with Cory Sandhagen next. The latter has won three of his last four UFC fights, beating Marlon Vera, Rob Font, and Deiveson Figueiredo, respectively. Cory is now ranked fourth in the rankings. Since Merab has beaten all those ranked above Cory, that fight could play out. 

“When Merab decides to get aggressive, he gets aggressive, and I’m looking forward to that. Merab is the best guy in the division, maybe one of the best guys in the UFC, and I want to take that guy out. “You’ve got to knock that guy out. That’s it, you’ve gotta knock that guy out. We’ll see what the UFC says on the time and date,” Cory stated 

Other Options

Equally, there is the chance to face off against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Pantoja defends his belt against Kai Kara-France at UFC 317. The champion has won his last seven fights, with his last loss coming in 2020 against Askar Askarov. If Pantoja defeated Kara-France, he could move up the weight class to face him. 

“Yes, if he will move up in my weight class and UFC is interested in this. No problem. I’m sure a lot of people will be interested in this fight. I respect Pantoja. Pantoja will be a tough opponent for me. If Pantoja wants this and if the UFC wants this, I have no problem with that,” Dvalishvili said 

Alternatively, there is the Umar Nurmagomedov rematch. Dvalishvili defeated Umar via a unanimous decision, as he experienced his first UFC loss. Following the fight, Umar admitted he had broken his hand in the first round. That may have had a bearing on the outcome of the fight, as Dana White is open to pursuing that rematch. With Merab holding all the cards, he can now target the biggest names. 

“The Umar rematch is interesting. It makes your legacy even better when you’ve ran through everybody twice,” White said