👀🔥Cory Sandhagen breaks down how he would
beat Merab Dvalishvili:„Don’t run from him, and hit him when he comes in.
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Make your movement a lot smaller because it is all that footwork
that really tires people out.“🎥 @lthomasnews
▫️ pic.twitter.com/7QDAWOl3fb— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
March 31, 2025
Cory
Sandhagen believes he sees a path to victory for Umar
Nurmagomedov against Merab
Dvalishvili if they were to meet again.
Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight title against Nurmagomedov
via unanimous decision at UFC 311
this past January. Sandhagen believes Nurmagomedov did an excellent
job of countering Dvalishvili’s wrestling. However, Sandhagen
thinks the Dagestani contender would have done better to control
his footwork instead of tiring himself out. Sandhagen believes
standing one’s ground instead of backing up is the key to victory
against a pressure fighter like Dvalishvili.
“If I was Umar and I could refight that fight – because he was
wrestling really good —some of the defenses to the wrestling were
amazing,” Sandhagen told Luke thomas. “Even just from physically
being able to be that flexible is crazy. I would say to him, ‘Hey
man, quit being so jumpy, stand in the middle of the cage, when
Merab backs you up, circle yourself back in the middle of the cage
again and don’t run from him. Hit him when he comes in and make
your movements a lot smaller. Because it is all that footwork that
really tires people out.”
Dvalishvili is now on a 12-fight winning streak including a title
win over Sean O’Malley followed by a defense against the previously
undefeated Nurmagomedov. Meanwhile, Sandhagen comes off a unanimous
decision loss against Nurmagomedov which ended a three-fight
winning streak. “Sandman” is now set to return against former
flyweight champ Deiveson
Figueiredo at
UFC Des Moines on May 3 at the Well Fargo Arena.