In anticipation of his next fight against Sean O'Malley on UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili has a queue of hungry contenders ready to challenge him.
Dvalishvili will rematch O'Malley Rematchen in the main event of the upcoming pay-per-view in the Newark Prudential Center on 7 June.
The decision to give 'Sugar' an immediate shot at the redemption against 'the machine', which the resident of Montana removed from the throne in 2024 caused the debate.
For many, a second dance with Petr Yan was the right choice of opponent for Dvalishvili.
But according to a former Two-Division UFC champion, another threat in the future of the Georgian is as soon as he handles things on UFC 316.
Henry Cejudo supports Cory Sandhagen to give Merab Dvalishvili problems
In addition to Yan, Cory Sandhagen is like another competition that compete for a chance of championship.
'The Sandman' delivered a striking performance at the beginning of May. Sandhagen defeated the former flight weight champion Diveson Figueiredo to cement his place high on the Bantamweight Ladder and make four victories in his last five.
While he responded to that performance next to Jake Shields, Henry Cejudo insisted that Sandhagen had to be the next for the UFC 316 winner.
And 'Triple C', who knows something about what is needed to win the 135-pound gold from the UFC, Sandhagen supports to present a much more difficult obstacle to Dvalishvili than he expects O'Malley to be on 7 June.
“See what Sandhagen did … How well he looked at Figueiredo,” said Cejudo. “He is good, man. If Merab can pass Sandhagen, the winner of this fight must automatically become the top three pound-for-pound.
“That is the next fight for the champion, guy. … Cory is good, man, good, Cory is good,” Cejudo continued. “Merab, for me, he passes O'Malley. But this guy [Sandhagen] Is the real deal, man.
'Not just submission [threat if taken down]But elbows, fight against the bottom. Many people do not know how to fight; They separate. “
Cory Sandhagen begged UFC for a title shot after the last triumph
Sandhagen will probably be delighted to have the support of one prominent name when it comes to his claim for a second UFC title.
'The Sandman' made a passionate plea for the UFC higher ups after his victory over Figueiredo in des Moines, and urged them to give him a chance to prove himself against the champion.
“Look, I have dreamed of becoming a world champion for more than half of my life. UFC, please give me the chance to show how great I am for the whole world. Please!”
The first chance of the American came abroad in Abu Dhabi in 2021, where Sandhagen fails against Yan in their interim -bantamweight title fight.