Cory Sandhagen Issues Stark Warning to Merab Dvalishvili During Heated UFC 320 Faceoff

Tensions flared between Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen on Thursday.

The UFC Bantamweight championship is at stake for the third time this year, with current champion Merab Dvalishvili aiming to equal Aljamain Sterling`s record for the most consecutive title defenses in the 135-pound division.

Dvalishvili is set to defend his belt against top contender Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event of UFC 320, scheduled for Saturday in Las Vegas.

This marks Sandhagen`s inaugural attempt at the undisputed title, having previously been unsuccessful in several title eliminator bouts and an interim title contest against Petr Yan in 2021.

Apart from Umar Nurmagomedov, Sandhagen`s only defeats in the UFC have come against former champions.

`Sandman,` who has won four of his last five fights, showed no signs of backing down during his initial faceoff with Dvalishvili leading up to their championship encounter.

Cory Sandhagen`s Threat to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 320 Faceoff

During the UFC 320 press conference, Sandhagen and Dvalishvili engaged in a heated verbal exchange on stage.

Earlier in the week, Dvalishvili had stated that his upcoming fight would be 90% striking, expressing his desire to be the first to knock out Sandhagen.

When the bantamweights finally met face-to-face on Thursday, Dvalishvili plainly told Sandhagen that he would be `going down.`

Sandhagen was clearly not pleased by this assertion.

“Really?” Sandhagen retorted.

“One hundred percent,” the champion affirmed.

“Seriously? Is that what you genuinely believe?” Sandhagen pressed further.

“I’m going to drive my knee through your face, Merab,” Sandhagen warned menacingly.

“I’m going to put my knee through your face…” Sandhagen reiterated, even as Dana White stepped in to separate the two fighters.

Cory Sandhagen`s Memorable Flying Knee Knockout of Frankie Edgar

Sandhagen`s most recent spectacular knockout victory was delivered by a flying knee.

In 2021, Sandhagen faced former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar at the UFC Apex, a fight that unfortunately initiated a harsh three-fight losing streak for the UFC Hall of Famer.

Sandhagen needed under 30 seconds to connect with Edgar`s chin, landing a perfectly timed flying knee that sent a rigid Edgar crashing to the canvas.

This flying knee knockout by Sandhagen was recognized as UFC.com`s third-best knockout of 2021.

The upcoming bout will reveal if Sandhagen can replicate this feat against Dvalishvili, who, notably, has never been knocked out in his 24-fight professional career.