Cory Sandhagen is keeping his head high after UFC 320.<\/p>\n
Sandhagen (18-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) was overwhelmed by bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA, 14-2 UFC) in a unanimous decision loss<\/a> in Saturday’s co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Sandhagen was able to achieve some success on the feet early, but Dvalishvili found his rhythm and even dropped him in Round 2. From then on, it was a takedown clinic from Dvalishvili, who kept repeatedly dragging Sandhagen down to the mat.<\/p>\n Despite falling short, Sandhagen remained positive in a statement he released on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Congrats to the champ – you\u2019re a hell of a fighter and a great champion of the division. I\u2019m proud to have fought you. I\u2019ll get you next time!!.To all my fans, nothing changes for me. It\u2019s all hard work till the day I hang it up. We\u2019ll still get to gold – even though the water is murky right now..I\u2019ll always have an unbreakable spirit until the day I die. I love this sh*t..Love you guys. Peace.”<\/p>\n After their fight, Sandhagen and Dvalishvili shared a respectful moment backstage.<\/p>\n Sandhagen fell short in his title pursuit for a second time. At UFC 267 in 2021, he faced Petr Yan for the interim bantamweight title, but lost a unanimous decision.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Cory Sandhagen admits ‘water is murky’ after UFC 320 title loss<\/a><\/p>\n