Merab Dvalishvili,: Merab Dvalishvili makes next move clear with Cory Sandhagen callout ahead of UFC 316

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will face Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 316. The Georgian made his next move of fighting Cory Sandhagen clear.

Dvalishvili captured the bantamweight strap at UFC 306 by defeating O'Malley. He made the first defense of his title by taking away the undefeated record of Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili will face O'Malley in a rematch on Saturday, and if he comes out on top, he hopes to fight Cory Sandhagen next.

Sandhagen defeated former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in his last bout. Speaking to MMA Junkie, Dvalishvili said:

"I wanna be busy and like I said in the other interview, I will fight two more times this year. So looks like Cory Sandhagen is ready for me. We have never fought against each other, he's great contender who has fought with everybody. He is a good fighter and beat alot of guys in our division. I want to fight another time this year, probably in New York or in my new home Las Vegas."

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Sean O'Malley previews rematch against Merab Dvalishvili

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley is looking to reclaim his throne on Saturday in the main event of UFC 316. After losing his belt at UFC 306, O'Malley underwent hip surgery and is now fully fit for a rematch.

Speaking on The Jim Rome Show, O'Malley shared his thoughts on the rematch, saying:

"I gotta win the first three rounds, and I gotta win the last two rounds. I gotta break 'The Machine' and I gotta beat him, win the positions, and I know I could beat Merab. He is open to be getting knocked out. I am very confident that I can put his lights out. I am also confident that I can beat him in a five-round fight."

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below:

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About the author

A B. Tech in electrical engineering, Dabeer began his professional career in 2022 with Vairuhl LLC. Dabeer turned into an MMA fan after watching Nick Diaz’s one-round barnburner with Paul Daley in Strikeforce in 2011. His favorite fighter is Tony Ferguson, whom Dabeer loves for his skills and personality. However, ‘El Cucuy’ does not figure in his top-five MMA fighters of all time, with Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov making that list.
Dabeer is of the opinion that MMA has supplanted boxing as the world’s premier combat sport, though he feels that UFC fighters in general are underpaid. This diehard MMA fan also believes that titles should not change hands by disqualification.
Someone who keeps himself immersed in the sport at all times, Dabeer likes to use his knowledge and writing skills to create accurate and relevant information that provides value to the readers. His hobbies are playing football and reading books.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi