Cory Sandhagen, in a surprising turn, does not regard his upcoming opponent, Merab Dvalishvili, as the best fighter the UFC currently has to offer. Sandhagen is poised for his first undisputed title shot on MMA’s grandest stage at UFC 320, aiming to capture championship gold after a previous bid for an interim bantamweight belt fell short four years ago.
A string of impressive victories over notable contenders such as Song Yadong, Marlon Vera, Rob Font, and Deiveson Figueiredo has paved the way for the American`s title opportunity. Sandhagen now faces the formidable task of overcoming Merab Dvalishvili, hoping to usher in a new era in the bantamweight division. ‘The Machine’ Dvalishvili has earned a reputation for being nearly unbeatable among fans and fighters alike, boasting an astonishing 13-fight winning streak en route to bantamweight prominence. Yet, despite the Georgian’s unparalleled success in the UFC, Sandhagen doesn`t believe he will be sharing the cage with the promotion`s top fighter on October 4.
Cory Sandhagen Chooses Ilia Topuria Over Merab Dvalishvili as the Current Best UFC Fighter
During fight week, prior to his intense face-offs with Dvalishvili at both Thursday’s press conference and Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins, Sandhagen participated in a light-hearted segment called ‘The Best’ with TNT Sports. In this game, ‘The Sandman’ was asked to select his top pick for various categories, including the “best fighter in the UFC right now.”
Instead of seizing the moment to further bolster the narrative of his impending triumph over Dvalishvili – a choice that would undoubtedly hold significant merit – Sandhagen instead named someone his UFC 320 opponent is very familiar with: Ilia Topuria. The American`s selection highlighted Topuria, who recently joined the exclusive club of two-division champions in the UFC, following his swift featherweight reign with subsequent lightweight success.
Topuria secured the 155-pound strap by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, simultaneously displacing Islam Makhachev from the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Cory Sandhagen Claims to Possess Many More `Routes to Victory` Than Merab Dvalishvili
Despite Dvalishvili’s remarkable 13-fight winning streak, which firmly places his name in contention for bantamweight GOAT status, Sandhagen believes the Georgian has limited avenues to victory at UFC 320. The confident challenger has expressed immense assurance in his ability to nullify the champion’s primary strengths. With this in mind, ‘The Sandman’ expects to exploit ‘The Machine’ within his own preferred striking domain.
“Unless his striking has gotten a lot better, it’s going to be a really hard night for him,” Sandhagen told UFC.com. “Not once in a fight have I felt incredibly fatigued the way that I’ve seen some of his other opponents be. Not once in a fight have I been on my back for longer than 10 seconds unless it was something that I was trying to do.”
He added, “So you take those two things off the table, which I’ve proven time and time again that I’m very good at, and Merab doesn’t have a lot of routes to victory, and I have a lot of them. It’s going to be my night. I’m going to be champ.”
