Merab Dvalishvili continues his winning streak, successfully defending the UFC bantamweight championship with his fourteenth consecutive victory, after dominating Cory Sandhagen on Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC 320 in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili (21-4), defending his belt for the third time, took total control in the second round, knocking Sandhagen down with a series of blows and achieving eight takedowns out of 13 attempts. Dvalishvili landed 33 significant strikes in the round, compared to Sandhagen’s two. From that moment on, Sandhagen remained mainly defensive. Although he didn’t wear down like some of Dvalishvili’s previous opponents, Sandhagen never seriously threatened the champion. The judges scored the fight 49-45, 49-45, and 49-46.
However, the most respected part of Dvalishvili’s game is his wrestling. Over five rounds, he was relentless with his wrestling pressure, attempting 37 takedowns and connecting 20, a UFC record for a title fight and the second-most in any octagon bout. It was the fifth fight in which Dvalishvili achieved 10 or more takedowns, and he extended his own UFC record for total takedowns, which now stands at 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, as well as being number 3 pound-for-pound. Sandhagen (18-6), 33 years old and originally from Aurora, Colorado, was looking to become the only American champion. When heavyweight Jon Jones retired in June and vacated his title, it was the first time since 2004 that no American man held a title.Remember, I said my plan is to knock him out. Almost, almost. Now I think people will respect my striking too.
Merab Dvalishvili
