The stage is set and the UFC 320 Co-Main Event is finally here as we bring you a betting prediction and pick for this upcoming title bout for the Bantamweight (135) strap. Defending champion Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia will welcome No. 4-ranked Cory Sandhagen of Colorado. Check our UFC odds series for the Dvalishvili-Sandhagen prediction and pick.
Merab Dvalishvili (20-4) has gone 13-2 en route to becoming the defending Bantamweight champion. After beating Sean O'Malley for the belt, he will make his third title defense after beating Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O'Malley in their rematch. He'll welcome Sandhagen as the next worthy challenger. Dvalishvili stands 5-foot-6 with a 68-inch reach.
Cory Sandhagen (18-5) has gone 11-4 inside the UFC since 2018 en route to his first title opportunity. He most recently took out Deiveson Figueiredo with a submission lock, bouncing back from his loss to Nurmagomedov. Now, he'll try to be the first to solve this championship puzzle of Dvalishvili. Sandhagen stands 5-foot-11 with a 70-inch reach.
Here are the UFC 320 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC 320 Odds: Merab Dvalishvili-Cory Sandhagen Odds
Merab Dvalishvili: -410
Cory Sandhagen: +320
Over 4.5 rounds: -360
Under 4.5 rounds: +260
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Why Merab Dvalishvili Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Sean O'Malley – SUB (North South Choke, R3)
- Last 5: 5-0
- Finishes: 3 KO/TKO, 2 SUB
Just when Merab Dvalishvili couldn't look more dominant, he was able to face an improved Sean O'Malley a second time and lock in the first submission of his UFC career. Adding to his superhuman cardio, Dvalishvili becomes all the more dangerous if he's able to start stringing submissions together and threatening opponents on the ground. He's already smothering with his wrestling and top pressure, but the added element of constant submissions would make him virtually unstoppable.
Dvalishvili's two fights against Sean O'Malley will serve as a perfect litmus test for a similar frame in Cory Sandhagen. The skill sets between O'Malley and Sandhagen are very similar and Dvalishvili is confident in his ability to gather underneath a taller opponent. He'll likely employ a similar game plan to what we saw in the second O'Malley meeting.
The betting odds are still telling and in the prime of his UFC tenure, it doesn't seem as though anyone is coming close to stopping Merab Dvalishvili anytime soon, If he can continue this blistering pace he's shown over the last 2 years, he should continue holding to title belt for years to come.
Why Cory Sandhagen Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Deiveson Figueiredo – SUB (knee injury, R2)
- Last 5: 4-1
- Finishes: 8 KO/TKO, 3 SUB
Cory Sandhagen has always been heralded as a dark horse candidate with the potential skill set necessary to dethrone Dvalishvili. He's constantly evolving his striking game to offer opponents unorthodox looks from awkward angles. He's also extremely opportunistic on the ground, constantly rolling for leg locks and looking to catch his opponents in his guard. During this fight, he'll have ample opportunities to throw submissions up given Dvalishvili will be hunting for the takedowns.
Sandhagen's most similar look to Dvalishvili came in the form of Umar Nurmagomedov, to which fans were treated to an all-time classic matchup. We could see much of the same during this meeting, but Dvalishvili works at an even higher gear than Nurmagomedov. It'll be interesting to see if Sandhagen employs the same game plan, or if he opts towards something completely new against the champion.
Either way, if there's a fighter creative enough to beat Dvalishvili in an unorthodox way, it should be Cory Sandhagen. His threat in the striking will be a constant theme throughout this fight as he looks to deter Dvalishvili from continuous shooting for the takedowns.
Final Merab Dvalishvili-Cory Sandhagen Prediction & Pick
This will be yet another high-level title match in the stacked Bantamweight Division as Cory Sandhagen takes a crack at trying to stop champion Merab Dvalishvili. Merab is operating at an unprecedented pace and if he continues to fight like he has as champ, there's no way Sandhagen will be able to stop the constant flow of offense.
Still, Sandhagen is very unorthodox in his approach and we're sure this fight is keeping him up as he tries to think of all the openings and opportunities he could force in the grappling. While the odds don't indicate such, Sandhagen will be a live threat to notch a submission throughout this fight.
However, better judgement tells us to go with our gut and the final pick is Merab Dvalishvili. Until we can see another fighter effectively combat his style for five rounds, it's not likely that anyone will be dethroning Dvalishvili as champ anytime soon.
Final Merab Dvalishvili-Cory Sandhagen Prediction & Pick: Merab Dvalishvili (-410); OVER 4.5 Rounds (-360)
