Sandhagen questions Merab's KO plan ahead of UFC 320 title clash
Sandhagen skeptical of Merab Dvalishvili's strategy as bantamweight title bout in Las Vegas approaches
Cory Sandhagen said he doesn’t buy Merab Dvalishvili’s plan to seek a knockout and keep the fight standing in their UFC 320 bantamweight title bout, set for Oct. 4 in Las Vegas. The title clash, part of a pay-per-view card, pits two of the division’s most relentless operators against one another, with the winner positioned to shape the weight class’s immediate championship picture. The remarks came during a conversation with The Post while Sandhagen was promoting Aires EMF protection technology.
Sandhagen described Dvalishvili as a fighter who has evolved from a grappling-first threat into a pressure-based grappling- and striking-enabled challenger who thrives on pace, takedowns and scrambles. He said the storyline around Dvalishvili is well established: a relentless, high-volume fighter whose approach can push opponents into uncomfortable places. If Merab wants to test a perceived gap, Sandhagen warned, it could still be a night more challenging than Merab expects, given the opponent’s development and coaching.
Sandhagen noted his own recent form, pointing to a May TKO victory over former champion Deiveson Figueiredo as evidence that he can compete with the division’s best and finish fights when the moment presents itself. He also acknowledged that Merab's improvements under his coaching staff are real and that Dvalishvili will bring both pressure and technical refinement to the cage.
UFC 320 is scheduled for Oct. 4 in Las Vegas, with the bantamweight title on the line. The event features the belt fight between Sandhagen and Dvalishvili as the centerpiece of the pay-per-view lineup, and the outcome could reverberate through the 135-pound division for months to come.
Sandhagen concluded that while Merab has built a credible plan and grown as a fighter, the fight will come down to who can impose their tempo and adapt to the other’s rhythm under lights in Las Vegas. The exchange between the two is a reminder of the genre’s evolving dynamics, where pure grappling, striking, and wrestling blend into a strategic chess match that often hinges on small margins.
