One Bantamweight candidate will keep a close eye on the UFC 316 -head event.
UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili puts his Bantamweight title on the line again while defending the belt against Sean O'Malley in a long-awaited Rematch this Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
Dvalishvili was able to surpass O'Malley in their first fight on UFC 306, and dominated him with his wrestling to win through unanimous decision.
The Bantamweight -Titel photo can shake a few different ways after the title Rematch on UFC 316, where both Dvalishvili and O'Malley recognize a common competition that can be the following for the title shot: Cory Sandhagen.
Sandhagen is the only hunter in the top 5 who did not fight for an undisputed UFC title and has won four of his last five fights.
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
Cory Sandhagen predicts Merab Dvalishvili to win Rematch against Sean O'Malley
Sandhagen, one of the best technicians in the Bantamweight Division, has locked up his prediction for Dvalishvili versus O'Malley 2.
“I think Merab will win again,” Sandhagen said at a UFC fan Q&A.
'Maybe. I can also see Sean win.
“To be honest, I want Merab to win because I think Merab will actually argue against me.
“I have looked at the interviews a bit in the way Sean has answered a lot of the questions this week and I don't know if he will be super fired to fight me in the championship fight.
“I have won Merab. I hope he wins because I know that Merab is a real game man, and I know he is popping up and fighting against me.”
Sandhagen comes from a second round of TKO interruption of DEIVESON Figueiredo, a former two-time flight weight champion. Sandhagen has victories over Song Yadong, Chito Vera and Rob Font.
Cory Sandhagen thinks he would 'cancel' the wrestling of Merab Dvalishvili
If Dvalishvili would win against O'Malley, Sandhagen would be a totally new face for the Georgian champion.
Sandhagen believes that he can destroy the ruthless wrestling game of Dvalishvili that has resulted in a problem for so much.
“Merab clearly has one of the best offensive wrestling in sport,” said Sandhagen.
'But I think I have been able to show through the Umar now [Nurmagomedov] Fight that I probably also have one of the best defensive struggles in sport.
“So, if I and Merab record it, it will be a challenging fight and I will get tired and I will be ready, but I think I will cancel all those Takedowns.
“He will not be able to control me for long, the way he was against Sean. He will be forced to stand with me much of that time and that will not be nice for him,” Sandhagen said about Dvalishhvili.