The atmosphere grew notably tense between Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen during their confrontation on Thursday.
The UFC Bantamweight title is once again at stake this year, as champion Merab Dvalishvili prepares for his third defense, aiming to equal Aljamain Sterling`s record for most consecutive title defenses in the 135 lb division.
This Saturday in Las Vegas, Dvalishvili will put his title on the line against top contender Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event of UFC 320.
This marks Sandhagen`s inaugural opportunity for the undisputed title, following previous attempts in multiple title eliminator bouts and an interim title fight against Petr Yan in 2021.
Excluding his loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, Sandhagen`s only defeats in the UFC have come at the hands of former champions.
`Sandman`, boasting four wins in his last five fights, showed no hesitation during his initial face-off with Dvalishvili ahead of their championship clash.
Cory Sandhagen`s Direct Threat to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 320 Faceoff
On stage at the UFC 320 press conference, Sandhagen and Dvalishvili engaged in a heated exchange of words.
Earlier in the week, Dvalishvili had expressed his intention for their upcoming fight to be primarily a striking contest, with the Georgian wrestler keen on becoming the first fighter to knock out Sandhagen.
When the bantamweights came face-to-face on Thursday, Dvalishvili simply told Sandhagen he was “going down.”
Sandhagen was visibly unamused by the champion`s assertion.
“Really?” Sandhagen retorted.
“One hundred percent,” the champ affirmed.
“Really? That`s what you think?” Sandhagen pressed, before menacingly declaring, “I`m gonna put my knee through your face, Merab.”
He repeated the chilling threat as Dana White intervened to separate the two fighters.
Cory Sandhagen`s Signature Flying Knee Knockout of Frankie Edgar
Sandhagen`s last highlight-reel knockout was delivered via a spectacular flying knee.
In 2021, Sandhagen faced former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar at the UFC Apex. That fight notably marked the beginning of a harsh three-fight losing streak for the eventual UFC Hall of Famer.
It took Sandhagen less than 30 seconds to connect squarely with Edgar`s chin, landing a perfectly timed flying knee that sent a rigid Edgar crashing to the canvas.
This impressive flying knee knockout was later recognized as UFC.com`s third-best knockout of 2021.
The upcoming bout will reveal if Sandhagen can replicate that success against Dvalishvili, who, remarkably, has never been knocked out in his entire 24-fight professional career.
