Outside Source
Merab Dvalishvili enjoys staying active. | Getty/UFC
Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t want to be a champion that sits on the sidelines.
“The Machine” will defend his 135-pound belt for the third time when he faces Cory Sandhagen in the UFC 320 co-main event on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili began his 2025 campaign with a unanimous decision victory over Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January before submitting Sean O’Malley in the third stanza at UFC 316 this past June.
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If all goes as planned at UFC 320, the Georgian grappler won’t be ready to call it a year.
“I want to be busy, I want to challenge myself more, stay disciplined,” Dvalishvili told UFC.com. “I’m healthy, I love this, and I want to be busy.
“I want to have four [fights] this year. This would be a real good opportunity if the UFC will give me the chance. I want to do the most. I want to enjoy this because I’m healthy, I’m ready, and I don’t want to waste time.”
Dvalishvili: Sandhagen ‘Most Deserving’ Contender
Dvalishvili isn’t looking past Sandhagen, however. The Elevation Fight Team product has been victorious in four of his last five outings to emerge as a worthy No. 1 contender at 135 pounds.
“Cory Sandhagen is a great fighter and he finished fighters like Frankie Edgar and Marlon Moraes, he has a win over ]Mario] Bautista, who has looked good, and he was always fighting the best guys in the division,” Dvalishvili said “He’s the most deserving guy right now. He’s always ready to go and bring it, and he’s the most deserving guy right now.”
While Dvalishvili is known for his grappling and seemingly limitless gas tank, he wants to showcase some different skills in the Octagon on Saturday.
“I’m looking to knock him out; that’s what I’m looking for, but we’ll see,” he said. “It’s an MMA fight, but I’m gonna show my hands more.
“It’s gonna be more striking and I’m looking to knock him out.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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