It is not exhausting to foretell how UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalisvili will strategy a struggle, but it surely appears almost not possible to cease him from following his gameplan. That proved true for Cory Sandhagen within the co-main occasion of Saturday’s UFC 320, with Dvalishvili’s relentless tempo and takedown assault resulting in a transparent resolution victory for the champ.
Forward of the struggle, Dvalishvili promised to go for the knockout, and he did seem to wish to make good on that vow from the opening bell. Dvalishvili stood in hanging vary and tried to go strike-for-strike with Sandhagen, who was seen as the person with the higher hanging expertise.
After about two minutes of motion, with Sandhagen using his size to land clear strikes, Dvalisvili went again to his bread and butter, grabbing a clinch, pushing Sandhagen into the cage and dealing for takedowns. Sandhagen survived the primary grappling blitz to bounce again to his toes after a takedown and was instantly again to touchdown a mixture of strikes, together with sharp kicks to the champion’s legs.
Dvalishvili, seemingly having realized his lesson from the opening spherical, labored his grappling from the soar. Whereas Sandhagen defended takedowns and shortly acquired again to his toes when the struggle did hit the ground, the specter of the takedown left him open to Dvalishvili’s strikes. That led to an enormous second the place Dvalishvili stung Sandhagen with a flurry of strikes, clearly hurting him and dropping extra punches on the bottom, almost manifesting his pre-fight knockout prediction into actuality.
Sandhagen was in a position to regain his senses and survive the second, having some extra success within the hanging recreation within the third, however nonetheless combating Dvalishvili’s fixed ahead motion and grappling.
Sandhagen discovered some life within the fourth spherical, cracking with overhand rights and uppercuts after keeping off extra of Dvalishvili’s takedown makes an attempt. It was sufficient to provide the challenger some hope heading into the ultimate spherical.
Dvalishvili snuffed out that hope shortly, persevering with his grappling assault, ending the struggle with a UFC championship struggle document of 20 takedowns throughout the 5 rounds. Sandhagen was in a position to sting Dvalishvili within the last 15 seconds of the struggle, but it surely was too little, too late, as Dvalishvili had clearly earned the choice.
The official scorecards learn 49-45, 49-45, 49-46, all for Dvalishvili.
“I’m a machine,” Dvalishvili stated after the struggle. “… I really feel like I am simply beginning. Actually, earlier than I used to be only a wild fighter. I had an enormous coronary heart, in fact, however the method, I am simply studying. My background isn’t freestyle wrestling; I am a judo man. My model was with the kimono and I needed to change my model.”
Dvalishvili has clearly acknowledged his want to put declare to being the best bantamweight fighter ever, and he made it clear that he desires to struggle once more quickly to proceed constructing on his resume.
“I wish to be busy, Hunter Campbell and Dana White, when you’ve got a spot in December, I would love a fast turnaround,” Dvalishvili stated. “If not, I am going to hold getting higher and someone will probably be in hassle.”
