Merab Dvalishvili in presentation at UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFCNews
As much as the rematch between Alex Poatán e Magomed Ankalayev be the flagship of UFC 320 next Saturday (4), the co-main fight between Merab Dvalishvili e Cory Sandhagen also brings to the public a very interesting clash of styles. Even though he is known for his striking skills and has as an opponent the record holder for most connected takedowns in the history of the UFC, the American doesn't seem to be afraid to engage in grapple with the bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg).
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According to Trevor Wittman, the fighter's head coach, the main mistake of all the Georgian's former opponents was avoiding takedowns as much as possible instead of embracing the ground game.
"I don't think a lot of guys do that against Merab. They go into a fight and think, 'Hey, don't let yourself get knocked down.' And then when they get knocked down, they go to plan B. I don't want (Cory) to think like that. Can we sweep him? Can we knock him down? That mentality is what it takes to be a champion," said the coach, who has also coached names like Kamaru Usman, Justin gaethje e Rose namajunas.
Cory Sandhagen's coach says they want to wrestle with Merab:
“I don't think a lot of guys do it against Merab.
They go out there and they're just: “Hey don't get taken down.” And then when they get taken down they're on plan B.
I don't want [Cory] to think like that. Can… pic.twitter.com/wHzfd68uIn
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) September 29, 2025
Merab surpassed Georges St-Pierre and broke the record for most connected takedowns in his first title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov. He defeated Sean O' Malley in his next match and now he will have the opportunity to defeat Cory Sandhagen, the only one in the top 5 besides song yadong not yet surpassed by the champion.
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