Cory Sandhagen isn’t deterred despite UFC 320 loss against Merab Dvalishvili

Don’t expect Cory Sandhagen to dwell on his failed bid to capture UFC gold this past Saturday.

Sandhagen challenged Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in the UFC 320 co-main event. Sandhagen had a promising start in the opening round, but he had a nightmare second stanza. Dvalishvili appeared to be on the verge of finishing the challenger, who survived. Despite his efforts, Sandhagen couldn’t avoid the relentless pressure of “The Machine,” and he dropped a unanimous decision.

While Sandhagen wasn’t able to walk out of T-Mobile Arena with UFC gold, he hasn’t been discouraged. “The Sandman” took to his Instagram account to issue a statement on the defeat to Dvalishvili.

“Congrats to the champ – you’re a hell of a fighter and a great champion of the division. I’m proud to have fought you. I’ll get you next time!! To all my fans, nothing changes for me. It’s all hard work till the day I hang it up. We’ll still get to gold – even though the water is murky right now. I’ll always have an unbreakable spirit until the day I die. I love this sh*t. Love you guys. Peace.”

Sandhagen is now 0-2 in UFC title fights if you count his 2021 loss to Petr Yan for the interim 135-pound championship. Sandhagen was able to rebound from that loss, as well as a defeat to Umar Nurmagomedov to get back in the title hunt. Whether or not he can do it again remains to be seen, but Sandhagen certainly isn’t lacking confidence.

As for Dvalishvili, it appears he’s seeking another title defense before the end of 2025. He prefers to fight Yan in a rematch in a bid to make UFC history. If Dvalishvili can earn another successful title defense before the end of 2025, he’ll set a new record for the most in UFC history in a single year.