It’s been exactly 10 days (Sat., Oct. 4, 2025) since Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, tied the record for most consecutive 135-pound title defenses, dominating Cory Sandhagen en route to a unanimous decision win at UFC 320 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I mean, the 20 takedowns is kind of funny to me, because I think that if you watch that fight, you’re not going to be like, ‘Wow, Merab’s wrestling was super impressive’ because what’s a takedown without any control?” Sandhagen said. “It’s kind of just, like, mat returns don’t hurt. You know what I mean? Like, it’s not like he was picking me up and slamming me — if you just bump me down to my knees and I just have to get back up, that to me, is not like a quote, unquote, MMA takedown. Maybe it scores points in wrestling, but I mean, you’re not doing any damage.”
Sandhagen then reflected on the grinding pace of the fight and how surprised he was by Dvalishvili’s relentless approach
“I know who’s working harder in those positions, and Merab,” Sandhagen added. “Like, it’s way harder to hold someone down and continue to mat return someone than it is to continue to get up. I was actually really surprised that he was really adamant about staying on those body locks for so long. In a lot of his other fights, he’ll kind of fight for that a little bit, but then let go and start punching. And I was kind of expecting him to do that, but he made me fight his grip the whole time. He milked a lot of clock doing that. It’s a gamey way to win.”
“Gamey” or not, Dvalishvili imposed his will for five rounds and nearly knocked out Sandhagen in the second stanza, while cruising to another dominant title defense. The bitter loss marked Sandhagen’s second failed bid for the belt.
Nevertheless, the 33-year-old contender isn’t discouraged. Sandhagen hopes to return to action in early 2026 and already has his sights set on a clash with former champion, Sean O’Malley — something “Suga” himself appears eager for as well.
