Merab Dvalishvili Solidifies His Dominance in UFC Bantamweight
Merab Dvalishvili continues his impressive streak, successfully defending the UFC bantamweight championship with his fourteenth consecutive victory. In the co-main event of UFC 320 in Las Vegas, Dvalishvili demonstrated his superiority against Cory Sandhagen. Dvalishvili, with a record of 21-4, defended his belt for the third time. He took total control in the second round, knocking down Sandhagen with a series of punches and achieving eight takedowns out of 13 attempts. In that round, Dvalishvili connected 33 significant strikes, while Sandhagen only managed two. From that moment on, Sandhagen was mostly on the defensive. Although he didn’t wear down 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 in favor of Dvalishvili.The most outstanding part of Dvalishvili’s game is his wrestling. Throughout the five rounds, he exerted constant pressure, attempting 37 takedowns and succeeding with 20, a UFC record for a title 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 is at the top of the bantamweight rankings. 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
