Cory Sandhagen isn’t buying into the hype around Merab Dvalishvili. While most see the reigning bantamweight champion as an unstoppable force heading into UFC 320, Sandhagen is focused, unshaken, and fully prepared to disrupt the narrative.
Set for Oct. 4 as the co-main event under the light heavyweight rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira, the bantamweight title bout pits two relentless fighters against each other. Dvalishvili has built a reputation as a cardio machine who drowns his opponents over five rounds. However, Sandhagen refuses to fall for the mystique.
“I’m not going to buy into any of the narrative that Merab’s this cardio machine,” Sandhagen told MMA Fighting. “That he’s this unbeatable guy. That he’s on a tear and can’t be stopped.
“I’m not buying into any of that. I fully plan on going out and beating Merab and wearing gold on my waist. That’s all that I know in my heart.”
Make no mistake, Sandhagen understands the mountain he has to climb. Dvalishvili has dominated for over seven years with relentless wrestling, suffocating pace, and a constantly evolving ground game but Sandhagen isn’t aiming to merely survive. He’s strategizing to win.
“Our bodies don’t do well when we’re tired,” he said. “We make worse decisions, react slower, and move with less sharpness. Merab thrives in that chaos. He pulls guys into deep water and keeps them there, and that’s what makes him a pain in the ass.
“He’s constantly engaged, just like me. There’s always something happening, constant pressure, constant reaction. But I’ve already been working on that. That’s part of my game too.”
Sandhagen believes the key to beating Dvalishvili lies in controlling the tempo. The Georgian is notorious for forcing fighters to play his game, endless forward pressure, takedown attempts, and wearing them out before drowning them.
“A major key to fighting Merab is making sure I’m leading the dance,” Sandhagen said. “I’ve got to mentally keep up with the pace, even when I get tired, because everyone gets tired in fights.
“He’s a phenomenal wrestler and now a real submission threat, too. But outside of that, he’s not the scariest guy in the world. I’ve got to stay sharp, stay focused, and not let him dictate the fight.”
Sandhagen, fresh off a dominant “Performance of the Night” showing against former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, has already learned valuable lessons from past battles. He referenced his loss to Umar Nurmagomedov as a turning point in how he mentally approaches pressure-heavy grapplers like Merab.
“When you fight a guy like Merab, fighting tired just isn’t fun,” he said. “You can do it, but it’s not ideal, especially if you’re athletic like Sean O’Malley.
“I think Umar did a great job with that wrestler mentality,‘we can wrestle, bitch.’ I didn’t have that mindset against Umar. I tried to avoid the exchanges, ran from the grind a little too much. That was a mistake. I couldn’t do what I usually do.
“I learned a lot from that fight. Sometimes, against a grinder, you just have to accept the chaos. Embrace it. Say, ‘Alright, bitch, this is what we’re doing,’ and be fine with it.”
With UFC 320 two months out, Sandhagen isn’t rushing to make bold predictions but his confidence is clear. He’s studied the champion and learned from the past and he’s prepared for war.
“I think I’ll probably surprise a lot of people with the way that I’ll fight Merab,” Sandhagen said. “I’m excited for that.”
