Merab Dvalishvili Solidifies His Dominance in the UFC Bantamweight Division
Merab Dvalishvili continues his impressive streak, securing his UFC bantamweight championship with his 14th consecutive victory. In a UFC 320 main event in Las Vegas, Dvalishvili demonstrated his superiority over Cory Sandhagen. Dvalishvili, with three successful defenses of his belt, took total control in the second round, knocking Sandhagen down with a series of blows and achieving eight takedowns out of 13 attempts. In that round, Dvalishvili landed 33 significant strikes, compared to Sandhagen’s two. From that moment on, Sandhagen remained defensive. Although he didn’t give up like other Dvalishvili opponents, he never posed a real threat to the champion. The judges scored the fight 49-45, 49-45, and 49-46.Dvalishvili’s most outstanding skill is his wrestling. Over the five rounds, he exerted constant pressure, attempting 37 takedowns and landing 20, a UFC record for a championship fight and the second-highest number in any Octagon bout. This was the fifth fight in which Dvalishvili achieved 10 or more takedowns, extending his own UFC record to 117. Dvalishvili’s winning streak is the fourth longest in UFC history. He hasn’t lost a fight since April 2018 and leads the bantamweight rankings, as well as being ranked number 3 pound-for-pound. Sandhagen, 33 years old and originally from Aurora, Colorado, was looking to become the only American male champion.Remember, I said my plan was to knock him out. Almost, almost. Now I think people will respect my striking too.
Merab Dvalishvili
