Ahead of his next fight against Sean O’Malley at UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili has a queue of hungry contenders ready to challenge him.
Dvalishvili will rematch O’Malley in the main event of the upcoming pay-per-view at Newark’s Prudential Center on June 7.
The decision to grant ‘Sugar’ an immediate shot at redemption against ‘The Machine’, who dominantly removed the Montana native from the throne in 2024, has caused debate.
For many, a second dance with Petr Yan was the correct choice of opponent for Dvalishvili.
But according to one former two-division UFC champion, a different threat is in the Georgian’s future once he handles business at UFC 316.
Henry Cejudo backs Cory Sandhagen to give Merab Dvalishvili problems
Alongside Yan as another contender vying for a championship opportunity is Cory Sandhagen.
‘The Sandman’ delivered a standout performance in early May. Sandhagen defeated former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo to cement his spot high up the bantamweight ladder and make it four wins in his last five.
While reacting to that performance alongside Jake Shields, Henry Cejudo insisted that Sandhagen should be next for the UFC 316 winner.
And ‘Triple C’, who knows a thing or two about what it takes to win the UFC’s 135-pound gold, is backing Sandhagen to present a much tougher hurdle to Dvalishvili than he expects O’Malley to be on June 7.
“Look at what Sandhagen did…how good he looked against Figueiredo,” Cejudo said. “He’s good, man. If Merab can get past Sandhagen, the winner of this fight should automatically be pound-for-pound top three.
“That’s the next fight for the champ, dude. … Cory’s f—ing good, man, Cory’s good,” Cejudo continued. “Merab, to me, he will get past O’Malley. But this dude [Sandhagen] is the real deal, man.
“Not just submission [threat if taken down], but elbows, fighting off the bottom. A lot of people don’t know how to fight; they separate.”
Cory Sandhagen pleaded with UFC for a title shot after latest triumph
Sandhagen will likely be pleased to have the backing of one prominent name when it comes to his claim for a second UFC title shot.
‘The Sandman’ made a passionate plea to the UFC higher-ups following his win over Figueiredo in Des Moines, urging them to give him a chance to prove himself against the champion.
“Look, I’ve dreamed of being a world champion for more than half my life now. UFC, please, give me an opportunity to show how great I am to the whole world. Please!”
The American’s first opportunity came in 2021 overseas in Abu Dhabi, where Sandhagen fell short against Yan in their interim bantamweight title fight.