Cory Sandhagen is extremely assured that Dana White will probably be wrapping the UFC bantamweight title round his waist on Saturday.
Sandhagen will get his first shot at undisputed gold when he faces champ Merab Dvalishvili within the co-main occasion of UFC 320, which takes place at T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili enters the bout on a 13-fight win streak, together with a pair of profitable title defenses in 2025 towards Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley.
Whereas Sandhagen sits as an enormous underdog forward of the matchup, he seems like he’s checked off the entire bins in preparation for his huge second.
“I’m pumped for it, man,” Sandhagen advised MMA Preventing. I preserve saying this. Merab’s methods of successful are wrestling guys and getting guys drained, and also you received’t try this to me. I’ve proven that my wrestling has come far sufficient to the place you’re not simply going to punk me in wrestling. I’m not going to get drained. I haven’t gotten drained in considered one of my… I don’t know what number of primary occasion fights I’ve had at this level, however I’m used to 5 rounds. I’ve been coaching for 5 rounds for years now, so my physique’s conditioned for it.
“I simply don’t actually see too many paths for Merab to win. He will get individuals drained and he wrestles them, and he’s not going to have the ability to try this to me. So we’re going to have a placing battle and I’ve gotten miles and miles higher at that as properly. I’m hitting tougher now. I’m quicker, my place is best. Simply working with Trevor Wittman over the course of just about two years now has gone a extremely great distance. So, man, each time I’m going right into a battle, I’m like, ‘All proper, how’s this man going to beat me?’ And then you definitely simply handle all of these issues.
“And at this level, the way in which that I’m coaching and the way in which that I’m feeling, and the way in which that I do know I may do every thing, I simply don’t see a path to victory for Merab. The best way I’m doing stuff, man, I simply can’t see me shedding.”
It’s been a protracted journey for Sandhagen to get so far, together with shedding an in depth resolution to Petr Yan for the interim bantamweight title at UFC 267 in October 2021. Following that defeat, Sandhagen rattled off three straight primary occasion wins over Music Yadong, Marlon Vera, and Rob Font — with the latter retaining him out of motion for a yr with a torn tricep.
Following the layoff, Sandhagen misplaced an exhilarating resolution to Nurmagomedov in the primary occasion of UFC Abu Dhabi in August 2024, and bounced again with a stoppage win over former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines in Could.
Regardless of the rollercoaster trip he’s been on over the previous 4 years, Sandhagen knew his time would come finally.
“I’ve at all times been a extremely sturdy believer in that if I simply preserve working my ass off and simply preserve doing all the fitting issues, and simply proceed to enhance and be the most effective that I do know that I will be, every thing will simply work itself out,” Sandhagen defined. “And I do know that MMA is a loopy sport and something can occur: Individuals can get damage timing can line up properly, sure guys can get like sure sorts of fights, can get actually pushed and different ones not.
So I simply knew it was simply going to come back finally so long as I simply saved working my butt off and getting higher each day, and simply each time I am going on the market combating with all of my coronary heart and ensuring that I’m enhancing each time and doing my finest in every battle that it could repay. It’s cool that it’s truly taking place.”
Dvalishvili’s win streak has been unbelievable — most notably, his previous six victories. “The Machine” defeated former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo earlier than capturing the title over O’Malley at UFC 306 in September 2024. Dvalishvili handed Nurmagomedov his first profession loss at UFC 311 in January, after which destroyed O’Malley of their rematch 5 months later at UFC 316.
When requested if Dvalishvili has earned the title as biggest bantamweight of all-time, Sandhagen isn’t prepared handy him that distinction simply but.
“I don’t know,” Sandhagen stated. “To not get existential, however I believe everybody has their very own GOATs for issues. One of the best of something, I believe, is a extremely private resolution. So he’s not my GOAT.
“It’s a robust one. I might say, simply because he was one of many first guys that I’ve ever watched, I’ll go together with Dominick Cruz as a result of he was like one of many very first guys that I ever regarded as much as within the sport.”
With almost 16 years of blended martial arts preparation forward of his first undisputed UFC title battle, Sandhagen plans to silence the doubters, and write the media’s headlines for them this Saturday when the smoke clears.
“[The headline will read] Sandhagen surprises the world, beats the bantamweight GOAT, and will get to go on his revenge tour in 2026 and take out Umar and Yan,” Sandhagen predicted.
