Who will stop Merab Dvalishvili? Former two-time champion names contender after UFC 316

Henry Cejudo on his YouTube channel. Photo: Reproduction

After UFC 316, many begin to discuss whether Merab Dvalishvili can already be considered the greatest bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg) of all time. For Henry Cejudo, to achieve this status, the Georgian will need to pass through a top 5 in the category: Cory Sandhagen.

Merab made his second belt defense by defeating Sean O'Malley, from whom he won the adornment in UFC 306 – Night. The rematch was last Saturday (7), in Newark, in the main fight of the UFC 316, and Dvalishvili finished in the third round. 'Triple C' earned praise for the champion.

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“If he’s more active than all these other fighters, it’s not fair that you can’t say he’s No. 1 pound-for-pound. I’ll give you an example. Kamaru Usman... Kamaru Usman, at one point, fought everybody, outclassed everybody, and did it on multiple occasions, and he was number 1 pound for pound. What's the difference between Merab Dvalishvili if he can overcome and defeat his opponents sometimes?” he asked. Henry Cejudo in his podcast, the 'Pound-4-Pound'.

The former two-time UFC champion named Sandhagen as a 'cutoff grade' to place Merab Dvalishvili among the best in the organization, if not the best. But, in Cejudo's opinion, beating the North American will not be an easy task for the 'Machine'.

“If he wins Cory Sandhagen in this fight, yes. I will put him in a pound-for-pound fight as the best fighter in the world. One hundred percent. But that being said, look, as much as I praised Merab, I don't think he wins the Cory Sandhagen. The only reason I think the most problematic person for a guy like Merab Dvalishvili is Cory Sandhagen, because the Cory Sandhagen throws a lot more punch than a guy like Sean O'Malley and he's a much bigger submission threat than O'Malley, and he's big," he said. Henry Cejudo.