Cory Sandhagen: Merab Dvalishvili embraces challenge of unorthodox Cory Sandhagen matchup: "The style makes the fight"

Merab Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight title for the second time this past weekend as he defeated Sean O'Malley via third-round submission at UFC 316. 'The Machine', who now has an impressive 13-fight UFC win streak, has since revealed that Cory Sandhagen will likely receive the next opportunity to challenge him for the belt.

He discussed the potential matchup during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. Dvalishvili praised Sandhagen's recent social media skits before adding:

"I also told him he's the most deserving contender today, especially [because] we never fought each other and he always was [a] company guy. And he was always fighting the best guys. He beat a lot of good guys like Song Yadong, [Marlon] 'Chito' Vera, close fight with [Petr] Yan."

When asked if he believes Sandhagen is a tougher test than O'Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili said:

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"He's a new style. We've never fought each other and we know there is no MMA math. The style makes the fight and Cory Sandhagen, he's a different style. We've never fought each other. It will be a test for me."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments on Cory Sandhagen below:

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Sandhagen has never competed for the undisputed bantamweight title. He has, however, fought for the interim belt and in two title eliminators, dropping all three matchups. It appears that his second-round submission victory over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC on ESPN 67 last month will earn him his first title opportunity.

Merab Dvalishvili open to potential Alexandre Pantoja matchup

Merab Dvalishvili has consistently shown a willingness to face any opponent. During his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, he welcomed the idea of facing UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja if the latter moves up in weight. Dvalishvili said:

"If he will move up to my weight class and the UFC is interested with that, no problem. That would be a fight that I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in and no problem. 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."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments on Alexandre Pantoja below:

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Pantoja has already racked up three title defenses since capturing the flyweight belt at UFC 290 in July 2023. He is set to enter the octagon later this month when he will look to defend his belt against Kai Kara-France at UFC 317.

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Caleb holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Purdue University, which now helps him to provide accurate information to his readers with a personalized touch. Being an MMA fan since childhood, Caleb’s Mt. Rushmore of fighters consists of Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

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Edited by Subham