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<\/a><\/p>\nDES MOINES, IOWA – MAY 03: Cory Sandhagen punches Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil in their bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n
Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen Betting Odds<\/p>\n
Merab Dvalishvili victory: -375Merab Dvalishvili via TKO\/KO\/DQ: +650Merab Dvalishvili via submission: +750Merab Dvalishvili via decision: +200Cory Sandhagen victory: +295Cory Sandhagen via TKO\/KO\/DQ: +800Cory Sandhagen via submission: +2800Cory Sandhagen via decision: +650Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a> NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 07: (L-R) Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia punches Sean O\u2019Malley in the UFC bantamweight championship bout during the UFC 316 event at Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Michelle Farsi\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Dvalishvili is quite possibly the best Bantamweight of all time almost entirely on the strength of his wrestling and cardio. He routinely traps opponents in a miserable cycle of getting taken down, working back up, and getting taken down again. Not only is it demoralizing and exhausting, but Dvalishvili seems to be improving at actually beating up his opposition throughout this process.<\/p>\n Closing the distance is a goal in every Dvalishvili fight, and it comes with risk against Sandhagen, who is both elusive and nasty with his intercepting knees and elbows. In his last bout, however, Dvalishvili really did great work against \u201cSuga\u201d on the feet, which is encouraging here. He needs to bring the same patience and active feints to inch towards Sandhagen then explode forward when the time is right.<\/p>\n Rushing forward could end disastrously, but cautious and consistent approach will get him to the legs.<\/p>\n Early takedowns are going to be important for Dvalishvili, as we\u2019ve seen Sandhagen shell up in the past after being controlled for a bit. If Dvalishvili is able to convince Sandhagen to drop the volume, he\u2019ll have a much easier time imposing his will and finding greater success over time.<\/p>\n DES MOINES, IOWA – MAY 03: (R-L) Cory Sandhagen punches Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil in their bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Sandhagen is one of the most technical fighters on the roster. He\u2019s an expert kickboxer who attacks all targets from both stances, and his defensive wrestling has come an incredibly long way since getting submitted by Aljamain Sterling back in 2020. On the floor, Sandhagen\u2019s leg locks are perhaps the division\u2019s best and could be an interesting method of countering Dvalishvili here.<\/p>\n I have one word to describe Sandhagen\u2019s primary key to success here: aggression. Sandhagen has the skills to defend or escape Dvalishvili\u2019s takedowns, attack his legs on the canvas, and pick him apart on the feet. The problem, however, is that Sandhagen doesn\u2019t always bring the offensive intensity to the cage to match his technical prowess \u2014 that\u2019s why he lost a ho-hum kickboxing match to Nurmagomedov even after shutting down the wrestling very effectively.<\/p>\n He cannot make that same mistake here! Sandhagen must always be attacking, working to break down Dvalishvili. One cannot hope to outlast \u201cThe Machine,\u201d but Dvalishvili is not immune to the effects of hard body punches and chopping low kicks across a five-round fights. His knee ligaments are not made of carbon fire and could be torn by a heel hook to great effective. On the feet, Sandhagen should be looking for exchanges and chances to hit Dvalishvili on all levels, and when taken down, he should be still attacking with elbows and leg locks.<\/p>\n Punishment adds up. If Sandhagen is consistently offensive, Dvalishvili will start to look more human, and the technical gap will suddenly become much more of a deciding factor.<\/p>\n NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 07: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia reacts after his submission victory against Sean O\u2019Malley in the UFC bantamweight championship bout during the UFC 316 event at Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen Prediction<\/p>\n I loathe picking fights like this, where one fighter definitely has all the skills necessary to pull off an incredible upset\/win, but the question is whether or not they\u2019ll put it all together. Such is the case here: an aggressive Sandhagen with the correct game plan should not only win but take apart Dvalishvili, and it\u2019s easy for me to visualize that path to gold for the Colorado native.<\/p>\n The problem is I\u2019m unsure Sandhagen\u2019s game is equal to the sum of its parts. That Nurmagomedov loss is so concerning, because Sandhagen absolutely had the skills to win there as well but withdrew into himself after getting taken down and countered a couple times. He was unable to kick it into gear when it counted. Dvalishvili is perhaps the most demoralizing fighter on the roster, and I\u2019m already unsure Sandhagen has the same willingness to take chances and go first that he did in his early UFC run. To beat Dvalishvili, Sandhagen has to combine his current technical improvements with the aggression of his younger career. Against such a physically imposing and relentless opponent, it feels more likely that he starts limiting himself and getting defensive.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll keep my fingers crossed for the Sandhagen masterclass I know is possible, but more likely, it\u2019s \u201cAND STILL\u201d at UFC 320.<\/p>\n Prediction: Dvalishvili via decision<\/p>\n LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE REMATCH!<\/a> Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., Oct. 4, 2025, with a blockbuster title fight set to headline UFC 320<\/a> from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In UFC 320\u2019s PPV main event, Light Heavyweight champion, Magomed Ankalaev, defends his title against No. 1<\/a>-ranked contender, Alex Pereira, in a high-stakes, five-round rematch<\/a>. UFC 320\u2019s PPV co-main event features a Bantamweight title showdown between division champion, Merab Dvalishvili, and No. 1<\/a>-ranked contender, Cory Sandhagen. UFC 320 will also showcase a Light Heavyweight clash between Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.<\/a>, a Featherweight bout pitting Josh Emmett vs. Youssef Zalal, a Middleweight matchup featuring Abus Magomedov vs. Joe Pyfer, and much more! UFC 320\u2019s start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (\u201cEarly Prelims\u201d), 8 p.m. ET (\u201cPrelims\u201d undercard), and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Remember that MMAmania.com<\/a> will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 320 fight card<\/a>, starting with the ESPN\/ESPN+<\/a> \u201cPrelims\u201d matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n