Merab Dvalishvili has identified Cory Sandhagen as his likely next challenger if he successfully defends his bantamweight title against Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 this Saturday. The Georgian champion shared his thoughts during the pre-fight press conference while preparing for the second defense of his belt.
"Right now, the clear contender seems to be Cory Sandhagen, especially because we've never faced each other. He has a good style, he's a good fighter. He's beaten many good fighters in this division. I'm sure MMA fans want to see this fight," Dvalishvili stated.
However, the champion made it clear he's not fixated on any particular opponent. "The most important thing is what UFC wants. Now I'm champion and whoever UFC gives me, I'll fight the next contender, the next best in the division," he added.
Patchy Mix, one of Dvalishvili's training partners, will make his UFC debut against Mario Bautista on the main card of the same event. The champion spoke highly of the newcomer and their relationship.
"Patchy Mix is a great fighter. We train a lot together. He's one of the best and I respect him. I'm glad he's in the UFC now," Dvalishvili said, before addressing a potential future matchup between them. "We're friends, but it's not the same as between Aljo (Aljamain Sterling) and me. If the time comes, we'll fight each other. Nothing personal."
Interestingly, Dvalishvili also opened the door to facing flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja should he move up to bantamweight: "Yes, he's a respectable champion. If he moves up and UFC allows him to fight for the belt, no problem. I'm champion now. I'll fight whoever UFC chooses."
Regarding his immediate challenge, Dvalishvili expects an improved O'Malley in their rematch. "He should be 70% better because he left many things. He left social media, stopped smoking marijuana, and I'm sure he was more focused on wrestling, on improving his knockout power. I want to test him. I'm ready for the best version of Sean O'Malley."
Can Dvalishvili handle a supposedly improved O'Malley? We'll find out this Saturday at UFC 316.
