Dvalishvili’s Unrelenting Wrestling Wore Down Sandhagen
Merab Dvalishvili retained his UFC bantamweight championship against Cory Sandhagen on October 4, 2025, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC 320 co-main event ended by unanimous decision, with scores of 49–45, 49–45 and 49–46 after five rounds.
The challenger faced a champion maintaining a demanding schedule
The bout was Dvalishvili’s third championship defense of 2025. Sandhagen entered another title opportunity after previously challenging Petr Yan for the interim championship at UFC 267.
For Dvalishvili, the assignment required another sustained performance against a contender known for presenting varied striking problems. His ability to connect those exchanges to wrestling again became central to the result.
A damaging second round strengthened the champion’s position
Dvalishvili hurt Sandhagen while striking in the second and threatened a finish, but the challenger remained in the fight. The contest continued into a longer struggle for momentum and position.
Whenever Sandhagen began building offense, Dvalishvili returned to takedown attempts. Repeated trips to the canvas interrupted the challenger’s rhythm and made establishing a sustained striking attack difficult.
A record-setting workload supported the unanimous verdict
Dvalishvili completed twenty takedowns from thirty-seven attempts, setting a UFC title-fight record. The numbers reflected repeated work rather than a single extended spell of control.
All three judges favored the champion, and the victory extended his winning streak to fourteen. Sandhagen completed the scheduled distance, but Dvalishvili’s combination of damaging exchanges, recurring takedowns and constant activity kept the belt with its defending holder.
Sources
- UFC: official scorecards
- UFC: second-round damage and repeated takedowns
- Sportsnet: takedown record
- UFC: title-fight background
