Cory Sandhagen questions if Umar Nurmagomedov can stop Merab Dvalishvili's takedowns: "A different level of grappler"
Umar Nurmagomedov appears to be the next man in line to fight for the bantamweight title. Should that be the case, he will fight Merab Dvalishvili in what should be a thrilling contest for fans.
Both men are elite grapplers. Nurmagomedov boasts a striking skillset not possessed by many fighters from his region, including his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov.
'Young Eagle' opted to train Muay Thai growing up, alongside his brother Usman, giving both fighters a more well-rounded skillset over time.
But Nurmagomedov's previous opponent, Cory Sandhagen, has raised questions about how well the Dagestani will contend with the relentless Georgian wrestling style of Dvalishvili.
Sandhagen was recently interviewed by Fanatics View, where he said:
"Umar is a way better striker than Merab, but also so is Sean. I guess the only difference is, will Umar be able to stop the shots. I say that with a lot of caution because I know that Umar is a really phenomenal wrestler but at the same time, Merab is a different level of grappler than I think the division's probably seen."
He continued:
"I think that Merab is still going to have a bit of the grappling edge."
Watch Sandhagen discuss Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov below (14:10):
Umar Nurmagomedov calls out Merab Dvalishvili for hypocritical stance on title shot
Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O'Malley in the main event of Noche UFC 306 on Sept. 14 to become the new bantamweight champion. Before his title fight, 'The Machine' was asked if he felt Umar Nurmagomedov should face the winner of his clash with O'Malley.
The Georgian dismissed the 'Young Eagle' as the no.1 contender, citing his lack of wins over the division's top 10 ranked fighters as a main factor.
His comments drew a response from the Dagestani fighter, who took to X following Dvalishvili's title win to call out his hypocritical stance. He wrote:
"When Merab’s friend, Topuria fought for the title, after 6 consecutive wins, and beating only one top 5 ranked opponent Josh Emmet, I don’t remember that Merab was desperately protesting against such ‘unfairness."
See Umar Nurmagomedov's post below: