Joe Rogan doesn’t know if anybody can beat Merab Dvalishvili after UFC 316.
On Saturday night, the UFC Bantamweight Champion showed new wrinkles to his game in his title rematch with Sean O’Malley on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
A master of wrestling and cardio, Merab Dvalishvili secured his first submission in eight years when he tapped out O’Malley with a North South choke in the third round.
The champ Dvalishvili improved to 13 wins in a row and is already eyeing his next title defense following UFC 316.
In his post-fight interview, Dvalishvili singled out #4 bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen as the ‘most deserving’ of a title opportunity, with a fight between the two more than likely next.
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Joe Rogan questions ‘very intelligent’ Cory Sandhagen against Merab Dvalishvili
Winner of four of his last five fights, Sandhagen has beaten some of the best bantamweights in the world including Song Yadong, Chito Vera and Mario Bautista. Sandhagen recently bounced back from a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov with a TKO win over former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan recognizes Sandhagen for his high-level fight IQ but wonders if that will help him any, going up against a wrestling-heavy cardio machine in Dvalishvili.
“Cory Sandhagen is a very technical fighter,” Rogan said of Sandhagen’s chances against Dvalishvili on the UFC 316 broadcast.
“He’s going to formulate a game-plan he thinks will be the best-case scenario to deal with that ‘force of nature’.
“But, what do you do?” Rogan said of how to beat Dvalishvili.
“You’re going to get tired. If you’re not that guy… everybody gets tired but him. It’s nuts. I know he says it’s just hard work’ but is it really? It is, but what level of hard work? How many hours?
“Sandhagen is very intelligent,” the commentator added. “He’s going to formulate a game-plan. The question is: is there a gameplan that would even work?
Daniel Cormier says Cory Sandhagen could present ‘issues’ to Merab Dvalishvili
Sandhagen’s one of the most well-rounded and skilled fighters in the bantamweight division.
Besides Nurmagomedov, the 33-year-old has only lost to former champions inside the promotion. Sandhagen has showcased both his striking and grappling across 15 UFC appearances, with 6 knockouts coming inside the Octagon.
A completely new contender for Dvalishvili, former two-division champion Daniel Cormier says Sandhagen can give the reigning champion a different look.
“Sandhagen’s put in work, could present some issues [to Dvalishvili],” Cormier said.
“He does switch [stances] a lot so Merab won’t get as much of a traditional look whether it’s southpaw or conventional.”
Cory Sandhagen correctly predicted Dvalishvili to defeat O’Malley in their rematch at UFC 316. The top contender believes he’d ‘cancel out’ Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts, claiming he has some of the best defensive wrestling in the sport today.