Merab Dvalishvili wants December return afterwin vs. Cory Sandhagen
UFC 320 winner Merab Dvalishvili spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters post-fight after his historic bantamweight title defense over Cory Sandhagen
LAS VEGAS – Merab Dvalishvili has been a force at 135 pounds, setting himself as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, bantamweights in the history of MMA.
Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA, 14-2 UFC), who defended his 135-pound title this past Saturday in the main event of UFC 320, has tied the UFC record for the most title defenses in the division at three. After dominating Cory Sandhagen (18-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in his latest title defense, many wonder who could beat Dvalishvili at this point in time, which is why some are looking at bigger challenges at 145 pounds.
But does Dvalishvili want to move up and try to become a two-division champion? Although the image with the two belts might look nice, the Georgian fighter is not too interested in that at the moment.
“This is my division and I feel comfortable here,” Dvalishvili told reporters at the UFC 320 post-fight press conference. “I don’t want to go up and make a mess. I don’t want to be without invite. If somebody shows up and (Aljamain Sterling) is waiting in line I would crash his face, or at least I would be mad, so it’s like the guys earned it in their weight class. I’m also comfortable here. I want to be my division’s champion. I have respect for all these guys, especially my brother Aljamain Sterling. Volkanovski, and I don’t want to fight these guys. I’m good here. But we’ll see. I’m enjoying it here, and I plan to fight next, Petr Yan. I want to continue in my weight class and do most (title defenses).”
For now, Dvalishvili looks to break the record for the most UFC title defenses in a year. He already defended the belt three times in 2025, and he wants to make a return in the final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 323 on Dec. 6. Dvalishvili hopes it’s against former rival and UFC champion Petr Yan, who’s on a three-fight winning streak.
Dvalishvili is currently on a 14-fight winning streak. The 34-year-old hasn’t lost a bout since 2018. Throughout this impressive run, Dvalishvili has beaten many notable names, including Sandhagen, Yan, Sean O’Malley, Umar Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes, and others.
