Merab Dvalishvili has a clear idea of who he might face next if he gets his hand raised this Saturday night.
Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) is set to take on Sean O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the main event at UFC 316 — a rematch of their bout at UFC 306 last September. If he successfully defends his title for the second time, “The Machine” believes Cory Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) could be next. Sandhagen recently earned a win over former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, strengthening his case for a title shot.
“Right now, clear contender looks like it’s Cory Sandhagen, especially (because) we never fought each other,” Dvalishvili told reporters at the UFC 316 media day. “He has a good style, a good fighter. He beat a lot of good guys in this division.
“I’m sure MMA fans want to see this fight. But most important is what the UFC wants. I am champion now and whoever the UFC will give me, I will fight the next contender, the next best guy in the division.”
Another fighter who could enter the title conversation at 135 pounds is former Bellator champion Patchy Mix (20-1), who is set to make his UFC debut against Mario Bautista on the main card this Saturday.
Dvalishvili and Mix have trained together on several occasions over the years, but Dvalishvili is quick to point out that the situation is not the same as his close friendship with Aljamain Sterling, who held the UFC bantamweight title while the two were teammates at Serra-Longo Fight Team.
“Patchy Mix is a great fighter,” Dvalishvili said. “Yes, we’re training a lot (together). He’s one of the best and I respect him. I’m happy for him he’s in the UFC right now. I wish him all the best. It’s good for the UFC, good for the division we have another top fighter in this division. It’s good. He told me he was coming to the UFC and we talked about this and we are cool, we are friends, we are training together.
“It’s not the same as it was between me and Aljo. If the time comes, we will fight each other. It’s nothing personal. He’s fighting for his family, I’m fighting for my family and my team. That’s all good. I wish him good luck in his fight and hopefully I’m going to win this fight against Sean O’Malley and we’ll see from there.”
