Former UFC welterweight predicts Cory Sandhagen will shock the world and defeat Merab Dvalishvili

In the boldest of predictions, former MMA welterweight Dan Hardy predicts Cory Sandhagen will score an upset over champion Merab Dvalishvili in the middle of UFC 320. This pattern has a ceaseless forward pressure that Hardy describes as predictable, and one that a cerebral, movement-centric striker like Sandhagen is more than capable of taking advantage of.

Hardy wrote this before their matchup scheduled for October 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Hardy sees a huge clinic, predicting knees, uppercuts, and elbows ripping through the middle and giving rise to fight-altering damage.

Why Cory Sandhagen’s style could pose problems

Hardy identifies Cory Sandhagen's elite fight IQ and his international-level range of striking disciplines, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and boxing, as crucial elements that can upset Merab Dvalishvili's cadence. Cory Sandhagen is incredibly mobile, very light on his feet, effectively tall at 5-11 with a 70-inch reach, and portion switches with no thought, making him capable of mixing it up and maintaining distance at will. His movement to pivot angles whilst at the same time incentivising Dvalishvili’s unrelenting forward pressure might create opportunities for counter-attacks that go on to inflict serious damage. That's the sort of strategic snare Hardy thinks could lead the Georgian champion to the first loss of his career in years.

Hardy states in the conversation:“Sanhagen’s one of my favorite fighters to watch. He’s a very, very good problem solver in the moment. He’s good at reading what’s in front of him and adapting his technique… And the thing with Merab because he’s got a very high pace… there’s almost like a subconscious motor… that subconscious motor can be a little bit predictable. So someone like Sandhagen’s going to see rhythms… I’m expecting knees and uppercuts and damaging things up the center channel and elbows on the inside.”Sandhagen has developed a reputation for being one of the most creative and cerebral fighters in the bantamweight division. He can turn the tides whenever he wants, whether it's with spinning strikes or a flying knee out of thin air.Also Read: “Henry Cejudo vibes” - UFC fans react as Merab Dvalishvili takes a visual dig at Sean O’Malley during UFC

Merab Dvalishvili’s dominance and what is on the line

With the current record of 20-4, Dvalishvili has been running through the bantamweight division for nearly two years with a dominant 11-fight winning streak. Against elite opposition, his pace, aggressiveness, and pace-breaking takedown output have proved overwhelming. In his recent fights, he has displayed the skill of pressuring people until they cannot handle his cardio or durability.

The champion's engine is perhaps the hardest riddle to decipher in today's MMA. But Hardy says that while this same consistency has drawn a large number of returns, it also opened the door for predictability.