Merab Dvalishvili calls for quick turnaround after Cory Sandhagen clash at UFC 320, wants title fight again in late 2025

While Merab Dvalishvili is aiming for a third successful bantamweight title defence against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, he appears to want to accomplish more before closing out the year.

During a recent appearance on the Full Send Podcast, the 34-year-old claimed that despite fighting 'Sandman' in October, he intends to make a quick turnaround and get one more fight in before the end of the year:

"I want a quick turnaround. I don’t overlook Cory Sandhagen. It’s going to be a tough fight. But, God willing, I’m going to do my best to win this fight, and if I win, I want to come back quick, turnaround, and I want to fight in December. I will ask the UFC a favor to give me another fight in December. Or even November. I don’t care. I can come back."

'The Machine' already has an opponent in mind if the UFC grants him one more fight in 2025:

"Petr Yan is [a] clear contender right now. He deserves it. I don’t want to make him wait too long. I can make a quick turnaround and fight him, and after, we will see who will be next contender."

Check Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (18:06):

UFC 320 will go down on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by a light heavyweight title clash between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira.

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Merab Dvalishvili teases linkup with Conor McGregor

It appears that fight fans are in for a major link-up soon. Merab Dvalishvili has confirmed that he'll be training with Conor McGregor, potentially after finishing his 2025 fighting calendar.

Speaking on the Full Send Podcast, the Georgian-American narrated how he and McGregor connected and chalked out plans for the training session:

"When I was in China, I met his friends and we FaceTimed. They called McGregor, and he asked me to [train together,] and I said. 'Let's go, Conor, we can train.' I would like to train with you. I want to fight again this year, and after[ward] I can go visit him. I'll message him. We both follow each other on Instagram."

While 'The Notorious' hasn't fought since his infamous leg break at UFC 264 in 2021, he seems intent on making a comeback on the recently announced White House card.